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The 500 Largest American Industrials in 1917

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2012

Thomas R. Navin
Thomas R. Navin
Affiliation:
Professor of Management, University of Arizona
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Abstract

In the manner of the Creole tradesmen of Louisiana, whose lagniappe to their patrons is legendary, the Editor offers a similar bonus to readers of the Review. Instead of trifling presents added to a purchase, however, our lagniappe will be notes and documents illustrative of the evolution of business enterprise.

Type
Lagniappe
Information
Business History Review , Volume 44 , Issue 3 , Autumn 1970 , pp. 360 - 386
Copyright
Copyright © The President and Fellows of Harvard College 1970

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References

1 Called Socony-Vacuum Corp., 1931–1934; Socony-Vacuum Co., 1934–1955; Socony Mobil Oil Co., 1955–1966.

2 Called U. S. Leather, 1927–1953.

3 The four big copper companies were more nearly the same size than is indicated here. In 1917, Kennecott controlled Utah Copper Co., Ray Consolidated Copper Co., Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., and Chino Copper Co., all of which are shown separately on these pages.

4 Called Pittsburgh-Consolidated Coal Co. in 1945–1958; Consolidated Coal Co., 1958–1966; merged into Continental Oil Co. in 1967.

5 Resold to Deering Milliken, 1963.

6 Called Willys Motors, 1953–1963; Kaiser Jeep Corp. since 1963; a subsidiary of Kaiser Industries Corp.

7 Name changed to Pure Oil Co. in 1920. I have used the company's estimate. Moody's says the total assets were $71,200,000 on March 31, 1917.

8 Name of Sinclair Oil Co., 1932–1943; called Sinclair Oil Corp. since 1943.

9 In 1917, this company was an “industrial” affiliate of the Reading Railroad. It became an independent as a result of a Supreme Court ruling in 1921. Since 1955, it has been diversifying as a conglomerate. My asset estimate is based on 1917 tonnage figures.

10 This is an instance of a company that has survived in name and in physical assets but not in management or in a legal sense. After several years of tired performance, the company was taken over by the executives of Mueller Brass Co. Mueller's name was then changed to U. S. Smelting Refining & Mining Co.

11 The change of name is deceptive. Actually the Ohio Oil Co., which was often confused with the Standard Oil Co. (Ohio), merely decided in 1962 to use its trade name in its official title.

12 Called Alco Products, 1955–1964. Since selling its assets to Worthington Corp., the company has been an investment company known as Citadel Industries.

13 Resold to Standard Oil Co. (N. J.), 1932.

14 Became Getty Oil Co., 1967.

15 Called Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corp., 1950–1965.

16 In 1928, this company ceased to be an American industrial; consequently it does not appear on the Fortune list.

17 Called U. S. Food Products, 1919–1957.

18 Called Mid-Continent Petroleum Corp., 1925–1954.

19 In 1921, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad sold its coal properties to Glen Alden. Moody's does not make it clear whether its Glen Alden figures for 1917 are before the acquisition or have been adjusted to reflect the acquisition. I suspect they represent the latter.

20 Called General American Industries, 1956–1960.

21 Called U. S. Industrial Chemicals, 1943–1951.

22 Liquidated its physical assets and became an investment company.

23 Called Barber Asphalt Corp., 1938–1948; became an investment company in 1948.

24 Some mills were sold to Spencer Kellogg & Sons, the remainder to Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

25 Called Nesco, 1950–1954; controlled by Granite City Steel Corp. 1927–1954.

26 Called Hearst Consolidated Publications, 1930–1964; no published information since 1964.

27 The symbol “n/a” indicates that Fortune would have included this company on its list but financial information was “not available.”

28 Called Shell Union Oil Corp., 1922–1949.

29 Merged into Cities Service Co., 1963.

30 Called United Dye & Chemical Corp., 1950–1958; Chemical Industries, 1958–1962; no longer an industrial.

31 Called Sperry Rand after 1955.

32 Called Paramount Famous Lasky Corp., 1927–1930; Paramount Publix Corp., 1930–1935; Paramount Pictures, 1935–1966.

33 Called Gold Dust Corp., 1923–1936; Hecker Products Corp., 1936–1942; Best Foods, 1942–1959; merged into Corn Products Co. in 1959.

34 Called Minneapolis-Moline Co., 1929–1960; Motec Industries, 1961–1963; physical assets sold to White Motor Co. in 1962.

35 Called American Radiator & Sanitary Sanitary Corp., 1929–1967.

36 Called Central Alloy Steel Corp., 1926–1930.

37 Reorganized company still exists but is no longer an industrial; merely leases properties to others.

38 Called Wesson Oil & Snowdrift Co., 1925–1960.

39 Called International Holding Corp. of Garwood, 1932–1938.

40 In receivership, 1932; name and mail order business sold to new owners; no longer an industrial.

41 Called William Whitman Co., 1946–1952; Carolet Corp., 1952–1954.

42 Merged into Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co., 1923.

43 Control bought by American Sugar Refining Co., 1949.

44 Jointly operated by Republic, National, and Inland Steel companies.

45 Called Sunshine Biscuits, 1946–1966.

46 Called Gaylord Container Corp., 1937–1955; merged with Crown Zellerbach in 1955.

47 Called American Window Glass Co., 1929–1958.

48 Called Skelly Oil Co., 1919–1967.

49 Sold to Vulcan Materials in 1957.

50 Called Union Bag-Camp Paper Corp., 1956–1966.

51 Liquidated producing assets and became an investment company.

52 Control bought by Sperry & Hutchinson Co. in 1967.

53 Discontinued automobile manufacture and went into brewery business by converting Cleveland plant to production, under contract, of Carting (Canadian) Ale.

54 In 1964, Stonega Coke & Coal Co. bought Westmoreland Coal Co. and took its name.

55 Called Lee National Corp., 1964–1965; sold to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., 1965.

56 Called Safety Industries, 1956–1960.

57 Name changed to Rockwell-Standard Corp., 1958.

58 Called Hillman Coal & Coke Co., 1919–1937.

59 Called Standard Textile Products Co., 1918–1937; Standard Coated Products Corp., 1937–1944.

60 No information published after 1937.

61 Called TRW since 1965.

62 No longer an industrial.

63 Reorganized company not an industrial.

64 Called Mack Trucks, 1923–1967.

65 National Candy Co. merged into its subsidiary Clinton Industries, in 1957.

66 Called Riverside Metal Co., 1942–1954.

67 Called Wickwire Spencer Steel Co., 1920–1945.

68 Called Twisco, 1953–1955.

69 Following change of name to Sahara Coal Co., firm was gradually liquidated.

70 Called Penn-Texas Corp., 1954–1959; Fairbanks Whitney Corp., 1959–1964; Colt Industries after 1964.

71 Called Royal-McBee Co., 1954–1965.

72 Called Daystrom, Inc., 1951–1962.

73 Called Yukon-Pacific Mining Co., 1938–1939.