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1890's Johnson Electric thermostat antique EARLY ! bronze decorative original
$ 26.39
- Description
- Size Guide
Description
about 11 inches, this is a johnson electric thermostat, ca 1890's-1905. Original. Very good condition, nice original patina, lacking some of the guts. A great collector's or decorative item. One of the first electric thermostats commercially produced. See below for history of Johnson Electric.In 1883,
Warren S. Johnson
, a professor at the
Whitewater Normal School
(now University of Wisconsin–Whitewater) in
Whitewater, Wisconsin
, received a patent for the first electric room thermostat. His invention helped launch the building control industry and was the impetus for a new company. Johnson and a group of Milwaukee investors led by
William Plankinton
incorporated the Johnson Electric Service Company in 1885 to manufacture, install and service automatic temperature regulation systems for buildings.
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After Johnson's death in 1911, the company decided to focus on its temperature control business for nonresidential buildings. In 1970, the company took over clock manufacturer
Standard Electric Time Company
. The company was renamed Johnson Controls in 1974. In 1978, Johnson Controls acquired battery company Globe-Union. That same year, the company divested itself of the Standard Electric Time Company and sold it to
Faraday
. In 1985, Johnson Controls acquired automotive seating companies Hoover Universal and Ferro Manufacturing.
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