Sargent and Company.

Hide Profile

Sargent and Company was a manufacturer of locks and hardware, with headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut . It was founded by Joseph B. Sargent, who was born in Leicester, Massachusetts, in 1822. He began his career as a clerk in a Boston dry goods store, where he rose to the position of manager. Upon the death of his employer in 1842, Joseph and his brother, Edward, moved to Griffin, Georgia, and established a successful mercantile business. After a few years, the brothers moved to New York City, where they started a commission business called Sargent and Company . The Company acted as sales agent for Peck and Walter Manufacturing Company . When Peck and Walter closed, Joseph Sargent moved to New Britain, Connecticut, and created the J.B. Sargent & Company . Unable to expand the company at this location, Sargent purchased land in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved the company there on 1 May 1865, along with one hundred employees and their families. The company continued to manufacture small hardware items, and added a coffin hardware department. The following year, the company was incorporated, with capital of $300,000.

The Sargent and Company commission house in New York continued to sell hardware items, along with the goods produced in New Haven, to other manufacturers, reaching a sales volume of $1,738,000 in 1869.

Sargent and Company acted as sole agent for Mallory, Wheeler & Company, a manufacturer of locks and builders' hardware. After losing this lucrative account, Joseph Sargent began manufacturing his own locks and builders' hardware, hiring William E. Sparks, a leading expert, to run the department. The company produced a line of locks with standardized parts and simplified inner mechanisms.

By 1887, the plant had expanded to sixteen acres of floor space and employed almost 1,7000 people. The yearly payroll was $1,000,000 or about $600 per employee per year. The pay rate was $1.50 per ten hour day with a six day work week. Immigrants filled lower employee ranks, with Italians the largest single group. Employees were well treated for the times, but J.B. Sargent refused to tolerate unions. An employee strike occurred in 1902 over employee demands for a union shop and a 15% wage increase. The strike lasted for three weeks until Sargent threatened to replace all striking workers.

Joseph B. Sargent was prominent in the New Haven political scene, and was elected mayor of the city in 1890. In 1892, he was nominated as the Democratic candidate for governor, but was defeated. Upon his death in 1907, his brother, George Stewart Sargent, became president of Sargent and Company .

By 1900, Sargent and Company was one of the preeminent companies in the lock and builders' hardware field, employing 2,000 workers. From 1900 to 1923, the company pioneered several new patents and processes, guaranteeing itself advantage over competitors. In 1928, however, rising manufacturing costs and a decline in profits forced the Board of Directors to elect an outsider, B.W. Burtsell, as president and general manager. Despite the fact the new management reduced costs and eliminated many unprofitable items, profits continued to decline steeply throughout the depression years, making it impossible for the company to pay a dividend to stockholders until 1938, when it sold off its New York sales office to the City of New York.

In 1972, Sargent and Company became a division of Walter Kidde & Company of Belleville, New Jersey, a manufacturer of safety, security and protection products.

From the guide to the Sargent and Company Records, undated, 1720-1955., (Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, University of Connecticut Libraries)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf Sargent and Company Records, undated, 1720-1955. Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Center.
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Alden and Eldredge McInnis, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith American Anti-Boycott Association corporateBody
associatedWith American Brass Founders' Association corporateBody
associatedWith American Hardware Manufacturing Association corporateBody
associatedWith American Watchman's Time Detector Company corporateBody
associatedWith Architectural and Art Industrial Works corporateBody
correspondedWith Association of Manufacturers corporateBody
associatedWith A.W. Crossman and Son corporateBody
associatedWith Bay State Hardware Company corporateBody
associatedWith Beardslee Chandelier Manufacturing Company corporateBody
associatedWith Bigelow, Kent, Willard and Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Branford Lock Works corporateBody
correspondedWith Brittingham, E. F. person
associatedWith Bronson Company corporateBody
associatedWith Casket Hardware Association corporateBody
associatedWith Cincinnati Tool Company corporateBody
associatedWith Coffin Hardware corporateBody
associatedWith Colonial Bronze Company corporateBody
associatedWith Connecticut Committee, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Consolidating Shipbuilding Corporation corporateBody
correspondedWith Cook, A. H. person
correspondedWith Coons, H. T. person
correspondedWith Crawford, A. J. person
associatedWith Davenport, Mallory & Company corporateBody
associatedWith Dodman, William person
associatedWith Earle Hardware Manufacturing Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Edwards, B. P. person
associatedWith E. Greenwald Company corporateBody
associatedWith Enterprise Manufacturing Company corporateBody
correspondedWith E. R. Sargent person
correspondedWith Fair Haven Water Company corporateBody
associatedWith Farren, G. person
associatedWith Flemming, D. J. person
correspondedWith Frank Sample, Inc. person
associatedWith Fred Ruge, Inc. corporateBody
correspondedWith French, Howard person
associatedWith Gaston, William person
associatedWith General Electric Company corporateBody
associatedWith George Henry Sargent person
correspondedWith George Worthington Company corporateBody
associatedWith Giese, M. R. person
associatedWith Grand Specialties Company corporateBody
associatedWith Griswald Manufacturing Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Hammer, F. R. person
associatedWith Hancock Tool Manufacturing Company corporateBody
associatedWith Handy Associates, Inc. corporateBody
associatedWith Harris Bros. corporateBody
correspondedWith Harry Sargent person
associatedWith Hartford Clamp Company corporateBody
associatedWith Harvey Rolling Hardware corporateBody
correspondedWith H. B. Sargent person
associatedWith Henry Bradford Sargent person
associatedWith Henry Edward Sargent person
correspondedWith Higgins, H. L. person
associatedWith Hindley Manufacturing Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Hoogkirk, S. O. person
correspondedWith Hopkins Grammar School corporateBody
associatedWith Hosking, H. person
associatedWith H. Sargent person
associatedWith J. Bradford person
correspondedWith J. B. Sargent person
associatedWith John F. Carr person
associatedWith Joseph Bradford Sargent person
associatedWith Joseph Denny Sargent person
associatedWith Joseph D. Sargent person
associatedWith Kelly, J. S. person
correspondedWith Keyes, J. J. person
associatedWith Larson Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Lawrence, S. D. person
associatedWith Lewis, W. S. person
associatedWith Mallory, Wheeler & Co. corporateBody
associatedWith Manufacturers Association of Connecticut corporateBody
associatedWith Martin Roshock person
associatedWith Merrill Manufacturing Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Miles, Frederick person
associatedWith M.S. Brooks corporateBody
correspondedWith Nashville Burial Case Company corporateBody
associatedWith National Foundry Association corporateBody
associatedWith National Metal Trades Association corporateBody
associatedWith New Haven College corporateBody
associatedWith New York Lock Company corporateBody
associatedWith N.H. Steamboat Company corporateBody
associatedWith O.S. Walker & Company corporateBody
associatedWith Parker Metal-Goods Company corporateBody
associatedWith Parker Wire Goods corporateBody
associatedWith Parkevin Corporation corporateBody
associatedWith Parrish, Lawrence L. person
associatedWith Paul Dudley Sargent person
correspondedWith Payne Die Casting Company corporateBody
associatedWith Peck & Walter Manufacturing Company corporateBody
associatedWith Photographs, New Haven Sales Organization corporateBody
correspondedWith Reid, A. L. person
associatedWith Research Institute of America corporateBody
associatedWith R. E. Voorhees person
associatedWith Richard-Wilcox Manufacturing corporateBody
correspondedWith Russell and Irwin Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Salaman, R. G. person
associatedWith Sargent Card Clothing Company corporateBody
associatedWith Sargent Community Association corporateBody
associatedWith Sargent Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Sargent, J. B. person
associatedWith Sargent Wharf Company corporateBody
correspondedWith Scott, W. D. person
correspondedWith Search, W. A. person
correspondedWith Shapleigh Hardware corporateBody
associatedWith Steel Founders Society of America corporateBody
associatedWith Stover Hardware corporateBody
associatedWith Strap and T-Hinge Corporation corporateBody
correspondedWith Strattman, H. S. person
correspondedWith Sullivan, W. C. person
associatedWith Talcott H. Russell person
correspondedWith Thalleen, N. J. person
associatedWith United Office and Professional Workers of America, C.I.O. corporateBody
correspondedWith Valentine, L. E. person
correspondedWith Van Housen, H. L. person
associatedWith Victor Manufacturing Company corporateBody
associatedWith Vincent J. Lawler Company corporateBody
associatedWith Wright and Campbell corporateBody
correspondedWith Wurzbach, A. J. person
associatedWith Wyland, H. C. person
correspondedWith Zeigler, A. C. person
associatedWith Zeigler Sargent person
associatedWith Ziegler Sargent person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Subject
Clothing trade
Occupation
Manufacturer
Activity

Corporate Body

Related Descriptions
Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66z59tq

Ark ID: w66z59tq

SNAC ID: 53341556