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2 employees of Chicago Bell Telephone formed a partnership in 1894. The business strategy of Alfred Stromberg and Androv Carlson was simple: they wanted to manufacture a better telephone. With the expiration of the patents on Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, about thirty independent companies sought to capture a piece of the market that Bell had dominated. Stromberg and Carlson created one such company.
The Stromberg-Carlson phone became known as the "farmer's telephone," because it helped the American farmer by connecting towns and breaking down the harsh isolation of rural life. By the turn of the century, Stromberg-Carlson emerged as a leader among the independent telephone manufacturers. This was due to their reputation for stable prices, uncompromising quality, and a strong emphasis on quality workmanship.
In 1904, Home Telephone Company, based in Rochester, NY, purchased Stromberg-Carlson and moved all operations to New York. World War I created a great demand for Stromberg-Carlson's phone equipment, so much so that all civilian business was put on hold during the war. During WWI, Stromberg-Carlson produced portable telephones and camp switchboards vital to the Signal Corps fighting in Europe. During World War II, the company increased production of advanced communications products, supplying switchboards, telephone instruments, field radio sets, and sound-powered systems to the U.S. Navy. After the war, with technology booming, the company expanded into the electronics industry. General Dynamics, a major defense supplier, became interested in the scientific abilities and electronic developments of Stromberg-Carlson. In 1955, the two companies merged, providing a wide range of products.
Stromberg-Carlson purchased a license to produce Neutrodyne radio receivers in 1923 and began production shortly thereafter; a license to the RCA patent pool was obtained in 1927. Stromberg-Carlson’s strategy was to make high end receivers, and the company quickly developed a reputation for high quality engineering in its radios. The company acquired Rochester radio station WHAM (still active today on 1180 kHz) in 1927. Televisions and FM radios were added in 1939.Radio and TV production ended in 1956, shortly after the merger with General Dynamics. Radio-phonographs and hi-fi components continued to be produced until 1961. The company’s highly successful telephone-related businesses were partially sold off to Comdial (1982), with the remainder of the company merging with Siemens AG in the 1991.Sources:1. Alan Douglas, “Radio Manufacturers of the 1920s,” Vol. 3, The Vestal Press Ltd., Vestal, NY (1991).2. Comdial company history at www.certified-cti.com.
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