Boss, William, 1869-1965

William Boss was an instructor in the School of Agriculture, University of Minnesota (1892-1900), a professor of Farm Structures and Farm Mechanics (1906-1910), a professor and dept. head of the Agricultural Engineering Dept. (1919-1938), and professor emeritus from 1939.

From the description of William Boss papers, 1908-1938 <bulk 1908-1910> (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis). WorldCat record id: 63314316

William Boss was the fourth of eleven children (nine of whom lived to adulthood) born to Janette and Andrew Boss. Born on October 7, 1869, William spent his childhood on the family farm in Gilford township, near Zumbro Falls, Minnesota. As a young man he apprenticed himself in the carpentry and building trade but soon followed his brother Andrew to the University of Minnesota School of Agriculture. While he didn't share his brother's interest in farming, he wanted to take advantage of courses such as manual training, which instructed students in the use of mechanical drawing tools, as well as classes in mathematics and physics. Boss's aptitude for things mechanical soon led to a position as an instructor in steam engineering and eventually as a full-time professor at the school in a new field called agricultural engineering.

In 1895 Boss married Edna Rider (b. 1871) of Oak Center, Minnesota. The couple bought a house in St. Paul's St. Anthony Park neighborhood. It was there that Boss began the Specialty Manufacturing Company in 1900 (see below for history of the Specialty Mfg. Co.). By 1909, the business had grown big enough to compete seriously with Boss's teaching obligations at the University. He decided to resign from his teaching position to devote himself to the new company, but the pressures of World War I soon brought him back to the University. The School of Agriculture had contracted with the government to train soldiers and needed Boss to lecture and supervise. With many of his best men gone to the service, Boss was at first reluctant to leave his growing business. He eventually agreed to come back on a part-time basis and by the end of the war had resumed full-time work, now as head of the department.

In addition to his success in business, Boss was respected for his contributions in the emerging field of agricultural engineering. He was largely responsible for founding the agricultural engineering department at the University of Minnesota, pioneered the creation of its curricula, and designed the first major building to house it. He was a charter member and president of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers and in 1943 was awarded the John Deere Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Application of Science and Art to the Soil. Around 1945 he started the Boss Engineering Company with sons Ronald and Harlan, which did consulting and development work for other companies.

Boss also gave his time to many other scientific, social, civic, and fraternal organizations. An active church-goer, Boss was ordained as an elder of St. Paul's Central Presbyterian Church in 1919 and was head of the church's finance committee for over thirty years.

William and Edna Boss had two sons, Ronald and Harlan. After Edna passed away in 1953, Boss's niece, Florence Anding, became his housekeeper and companion. Boss remained active all his life, and continued to report to work at Specialty Mfg. Co. well into his 80s. William Boss died in 1965.

Harlan David Boss was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1908, the second son of William and Edna Boss. In 1932 he graduated from the University of Minnesota's interior decorating program (then called "interior architecture"), which was taught through the School of Engineering and Architecture. After an unsuccessful stint selling venetian blinds, he moved on to a position with Yungbauer Interiors in downtown St. Paul. In 1938 the World's Fair drew him to New York City. Entranced by the beauty of that city and attracted by the opportunities, he decided to stay and spent several years designing glass lamps, goblets, and bottles for an export company before World War II and the draft loomed. Boss enlisted in the army, where he was trained in radio and intelligence, and spent the final years of the war in Europe. His company followed the front through England, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands, but never saw combat.

After returning to the United States at the end of the war, Boss worked for his father in the Specialty Manufacturing Company but continued to pursue interior decorating jobs on the side. After about ten years, he had mustered enough customers to start his own business, Boss Interiors, in St. Paul's Midway area. He was soon joined by Gene Dawley of New York, who became his partner in the business as well as his closest friend and life-long companion. The pair were soon in demand by local theaters, galleries, arts organizations, and individuals. News about Boss's design work for such events as the Minneapolis Symphony Ball and the "Fiesta Mall" in downtown St. Paul was featured regularly in the women's section of the St. Paul Pioneer Press during the 1960s. Boss also periodically wrote a decorating advice column.

Through his work with the William Boss Foundation, Boss gained a reputation as a patron of the arts and his close friends included many individuals prominent in that arena, such as choreographer, artistic director, and founder of the Minnesota Dance Theater Loyce Houlton, and St. Paul Opera founder and general director Virginia Olson. Boss and Dawley entertained frequently in their home on St. Paul's Portland Avenue, playing host to everything from theater opening night receptions to elaborate Christmas parties for the neighborhood children.

Although he chose to focus his career on his interior decorating business, Boss remained a board member of the Specialty Mfg. Co. and was chairman from 1966 until his death in February 1993 at age 83.

Frustrated by the extra time he had to spend raking up grass clippings after mowing the lawn of his St. Paul home, William Boss came up with the idea of constructing a grass catcher out of wire and canvas which could be easily attached and detached from the mower. The enthusiasm of neighbors and friends for the new device encouraged Boss to begin producing them for sale, and the invention became the start of the Specialty Manufacturing Company in 1900. Sales grew so quickly that before long Boss moved his business to its own factory, eventually ending up on University Avenue (1915-1990s) and later in White Bear Lake (1990s on). The easy-emptying grass catcher was soon followed by several other popular products, including the flow-through detachable hose reel and the acme egg weighing scale. The company soon developed a full line of home lawn and garden care products, including multiple models of hose reels, grass catchers, and water sprinklers. From the mid-1960s on, Specialty focused on flow control products and shut-off valves for all types of liquids under pressure. The original grass catcher remained one of their most popular products, however; the same model was manufactured from 1902 to the early 1980s.

As the name Specialty Manufacturing Company aptly suggests, much of the company's business, especially after 1934, came from custom manufacturing on a contract basis. During World War II they made a number of products under government contract, such as a round washer for use in the manufacture of war products. Another major client was Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (later 3M) for whom the Specialty Mfg. Co. developed and produced Scotch tape dispensers. Other products produced for 3M, their biggest single customer for contract work, have included bow tying machines and box sealing ribbon.

Though it was incorporated in 1947, Specialty Mfg. Co. has remained essentially a family-run company. Founder William Boss acted as its first chairman, director, and general manager, followed by his son Ronald Boss - and in later years - his granddaughter and other descendants.

From the guide to the Boss family and business papers., 1856-1990., (Minnesota Historical Society)