John Deere's Company - Volume 1

Book excerpt: The history of Deere & Company is several stories at once. It is the saga of an American folk hero remembered as the man "who gave to the world the steel plow." John Deere's Company - Volume 1 is the story of rural and small-town America from the time eastern farmers began moving into the Midwest in the early 1800s, through the American industrial revolution of the late 19th and up to the creation of the first John Deere tractors. It is also the story of an uncommon family whose members for 145 years directed the destiny of one of America's oldest business firms--now the largest agricultural machinery manufacturer in the world--until the first nonfamily member, Robert Hanson, was named chief executive officer of Deere in 1892. The story follows the company's role in the extraordinary growth of the American agricultural economy; its role in the discovery and application of major innovations in machinery and manufacturing methods; and, finally, its role in the sharing of that technology throughout the world. Those roles were influenced by the Populist movement in the 19th century, by the early attempts of unions to organize the farm implement industry, and by the competitive tactics and strategies of industrial leaders whose companies battled each other for market share. Wayne Broehl has taken these several historic threads and woven them into this lively and absorbing historical account. In this updated and revision edition, Broehl's text is accompanied by the original illustrations as well as images drawn from the Theo Brown Archives and more. The book has also been divided into two volumes, this is Volume 1.