TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 4/10/2024

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Emerson Brantingham Agricultural Implements

 

 

The J.H. Manny & Co. was founded in 1852 when mechanization of agriculture was in its infancy. One of the hardest tasks on the farm in those days was harvesting grain. John H. Manny grew up helping his father make farming less labor intensive and to that end he developed and improved mowing and harvesting equipment. Manny held 28 patents related to mowers and reapers.

Manny, along with his father, had developed a horse-drawn reaper that greatly reduced the labor needed to harvest grain crops. it had many innovative features including a unique sickle and guard finger arrangement. They were direct competitors of the McCormic reaper and had established a good reputation for quality machines.

McCormick entered field trials against the Manning Reaper and ultimately two trials in the courts. When the New York State Agricultural Society held its Annual Fair at Geneva, NY in 1852 Manny received first prize for his mower and second prize for his reaper. McCormick didn’t even place in either class. In another field trial the next year the Manny reaper wone, but he was beaten by McCormick’s reaper-mower combination.

During 1854 the Manny machines again soundly defeated those of McCormick. In November of 1854, Cyrus McCormick filed a Complaint in the United States Circuit Court, charging an infringement by Manny of the 1845 and 1847 McCormick patents. When the suit finally came to trial, Manny’s defense attorneys included Edwin M. Stanton and Abraham Lincoln. (Stanton later became Lincoln’s Secretary of War.) They successfully defended Manny against McCormick’s allegations.  In January of 1856 the Circuit Court ruled in favor of Manny. McCormick was not content to accept the ruling of the Circuit Court and filed an appeal with the United States Supreme Court. In May, 1858 they upheld the Circuit Court decision and dismissed McCormick’s claim. Of course, the irony is that McCormick would later acquire Osborne Machinery which he would then be forced to sell to Manny’s company, Emerson-Brantingham. 

Lincoln also represented Acme Hay Harvesting (TRACTOR TRIVIA and other interesting stuff 1/25/2024).

From 1852-1970, Rockford, IL, was a major manufacturer of agricultural implements thanks to John H. Manny & Co. and its successors: Emerson, Talcott & Co., Emerson-Brantingham Company. By World War I, Emerson-Brantingham's 1,700-employee manufacturing hub with 24-building, 175-acre complex was regarded as the world's largest facility for manufacturing agricultural machinery. Manny held 28 patents related to mowers and reapers.

Manny took on several partners, including Ralph Emerson, cousin to the famous poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. After Manny’s death, the company changed its name to Talcott, Emerson, and Company. Emerson was eager to expand the company and hired people with technical and financial skills. One of those individuals was Charles S. Brantingham, who brought a strong business approach to the Emerson Company and became a partner. He had a vision of a global business that would supply the world with agricultural equipment.

Emerson-Brantingham began acquisition of other companies to expand their line and bring more manufacturing capacity in-house. The need for a quality steam engine to operate newly developed thrashing machines led to the purchase of Geiser Manufacturing. Also added to their ever-growing line were the Pontiac Buggey Company and the Newton Wagon Works. As gasoline engines gained popularity they bought the Rockford Gas Engine Company. Then their biggest acquisition came with the opportunity to acquire the Osborne Company portion of International Harvester when IH was forced to divest Osborne.  They were now one of the biggest agricultural manufacturers on the planet.

Changing times, reduction of demand for steam power and the advent of smaller tractors made their two biggest moneymakers, the Geiser Manufacturing Company, and Big Four Tractor Company unprofitable.

Emerson-Brantingham struggled for nearly a decade due to the agricultural depression before its 1928 acquisition by J. I. Case Company which wanted the plant and facilities and the 28 patents Manny had been awarded.  Case continued operations at the Rockford facility until 1970.