Massey Ferguson (1958)

Variant names

Dates:

Establishment 1847

Disestablishment 1993

Active 1884

Active 1930

History notes:

Massey-Harris-Ferguson Limited was an agricultural implement manufacturer. Daniel Massey (1798-1856) began manufacturing farm implements at Bond Head but moved to Newcastle in 1849 where he established the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory, later renamed the Massey Manufacturing Company by his son. Alanson Harris (1816-94) established a foundry at Beamsville in 1857 under the name A. Harris, Son & Co., and relocated to Brantford in 1872. Massey Manufacturing Co. moved its headquarters to Toronto in 1879 and competed in international markets. In 1891, Massey and A. Harris and Son Co. merged to form Massey-Harris Company Ltd. Others mergers included Bain Wagon Company (1896), Patterson Brothers & Co. (1891), J.O. Wisner, Son and Co. (1891), W.H. Verity & Sons (1892), and Johnston Harvester Company (1910) located in Batavia, New York. The acquisition of the Johnston Harvester Company made Massey-Harris one of Canada's first multinational firms. The company became Massey-Harris-Ferguson Limited with the Harry Ferguson merger in 1953 that added an important tractor component; this was strengthened with the merger with F. Perkins Ltd. (1959) which specialized in diesel engines. The company's name was shortened to Massey Ferguson in 1958. It prospered in the 1960s and 1970s with its tractor and combine production lines but declined in a rapidly changing farm equipment market during the 1980s. In 1986, the company changed its name to Verity Corp. and in 1993 it was purchased by AGCO in Atlanta, Georgia.