In 1896 he was in the Williams College yearbook
In 1898, he was a volunteer in the New York infantry for the Spanish American War, signed up as a private for a 2 year enlistment, age 24. Disbanded by wars early end in Oct 1898 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/27160/images/dvm_LocHist011438-00287-0?pId=552
In 1911 Joseph O Eaton (father was a famous painter) invested in a new idea -- the very first gear-driven truck axle.
Transportation was on the verge of dramatic change, automobile and truck use was starting to become widespread, and the world was on the brink of its First World War.
A small company was started when patented gear-driven truck axle inventor Viggo Torbensen teamed up with Joseph Oriel (J.O.) Eaton, an aspiring young businessman, to found Torbensen Gear and Axle Company, the precursor of today’s Eaton.
When J.O. Eaton helped start the new company in Newark, NJ, he provided an acute business sense, but lacked practical automotive experience. Having left the men’s clothing business to provide the financing for the original truck axle business, Eaton never learned to drive during his long career with the automotive industry. He allegedly got into an electric car once, pulled the lever, and ran into the garage. He got out and never attempted to drive again.
This lack of knowledge was not enough to deter Eaton from pursuing a career in the automotive business. Even though the company only sold seven axles in the first year, Eaton soon moved operations to Cleveland, OH, to be closer to the fast-growing automobile industry in the Midwest and maintains a presence there today. By 1916, the company produced more than 10,000 axles – many of which were installed on the U.S. Military trucks shipped to Japan during World War I.
This lack of knowledge was not enough to deter Eaton from pursuing a career in the automotive business. Even though the company only sold seven axles in the first year, Eaton soon moved operations to Cleveland, OH, to be closer to the fast-growing automobile industry in the Midwest and maintains a presence there today. By 1916, the company produced more than 10,000 axles – many of which were installed on the U.S. Military trucks shipped to Japan during World War I.
If you're wondering where you've heard of the company Eaton's name from, it could be from Eaton superchargers, transmissions, Eaton Detroit Spring (helped restore Gen Patton's WW1 tank https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/01/pattons-tanka-world-war-i-era-ford.html )
and it's a town in Ohio named for a general in the Barbary coast war
Eaton still makes transmissions for big trucks.
ReplyDeletetheir 9 speed, and 13 and 18 speed transmissions are the favorite of most every driver.
thanks!
DeleteI sold Eaton axles and transmissions in my truck sales days. Excellent products. Thanks for the history on, once again, your relatives.
ReplyDeletethank you! I just wondered about the familiar names in my family tree... and when I came across stuff like Eaton, Goodyear, Ferris, Webster, etc etc, I had to look them up! So, when it's a vehicle related product, I had to find out the history of the company too, as I didn't know anything, and remembered only that there were trans and super chargers, the rest I learned as I was researching for the post! There's always more to learn, I find that's true, every day!
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