The Industrial Hobarts [Paperback]

Peter C Hobart (Author), Michael W Williams (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1578642647 | ISBN-13: 978-1578642649 | Publication Date: January 12, 2005

The Industrial Hobarts is the story of how three generations engineered the growth and success of their family business during the prime of America's industrial age. The story, - told by Peter C. Hobart, Hobart Brother's former vice president for international business, and historian Michael W. Williams-is a clear and engaging narrative of how one family found purpose and success in the golden age of American industry.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This is a remarkable book of ingenuity and diligence. . . The volume is interspersed with delightful historical notes of the times. -- Welding Journal, May 2005

About the Author

Peter C. Hobart is the youngest member of the third generation of "industrial" Hobarts. He graduated with honors from Yale in 1957, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts with minors in Business and Engineering. He spent over thirty-five years with Hobart Brothers Company as a board member, shareholder, and in various management positions. During most of those years he served as Vice President of the international division and President of Hobart Brothers International A.G. Today he is a consultant for ITW, which bought the company in 1996. P.C. Hobart has written and lectured extensively on technology, international business, and contemporary art. Many of his articles have appeared in the Welding Journal as well as other

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Hobart Institute (January 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578642647
• ISBN-13: 978-1578642649
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,160,826 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Family and Business Saga, June 1, 2005

By 

R. David Thomas, Jr. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Industrial Hobarts (Paperback)

This is a remarkable book of ingenuity and diligence by the formidable family of Hobarts. Peter Hobart, grandson of the founder Clarence Charles Hobart, or his co-author, Michael Williams, must have had Galsworthy's Forsythe Saga in mind when writing this book. Like Galsworthy's classic it traces three generations of a family and its encounter with the culture, the civic environment, the wars and political events, the business successes and disappointments; moreover it covers much of the same calendar periods from the late nineteenth century, and into the twentieth century with the one difference that it proceeds on to the dawn of the twenty-first century. It paints a picture of the early years of the community in and around Troy, Ohio, in much the same way as does Galsworthy 's Victorian age in London.

This family provided leadership for several industrial enterprises all but one of which survive today. Hobart Manufacturing Company which dates back to 1897 is the well known producer of household appliances, best known for its KitchenAid trademark. The Hobart Brothers Company, known to all of us in the welding industry, originated first as Hobart Electric Company. Its founder, referred to as "C.C." Hobart, became entranced with the controversies in the late nineteenth century between use of alternating and direct current for domestic and municipal street lighting and decided to focus on electricity for the growth of his new company.

While it was Galsworthy's purpose to write fictional novels of a multi generation family, Peter Hobart expresses his purpose at the close, saying, "this book is intended to provide important teachings to future generations to help avoid the mistakes of the past, and to document what was a Golden Age for American industry, a very happy and rewarding period of those who lived it."

Submitted for use by Amazon by
R. David Thomas, Jr., PEng.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating History, July 18, 2005

By 

P. D. Kennedy "historian" (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Industrial Hobarts (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work. It is a fascinating mixture of family saga, industrial development, and small town progress in the 20th Century.
Clarence Charles (C.C.) Hobart founded five different companies in his lifetime, which, in turn, spawned other companies, e.g., KitchenAid, or invented new equipment such as the portable arc welder, or pioneered inventions like steel houses.
These companies were either sold to others or managed by the children and grandchildren of C.C. Hobart through the last century.
This enjoyable and easily read volume is replete with photos of people, places, and inventions. In addition, it includes information from interviews with many former employees of the companies involved. It is not difficult to follow, even by the general public not well versed in industrial history, yet it is well documented for the historian or enthusiast wanting to follow up on sources.
Mr. Peter Hobart and Mr. Michael Williams work well together in that Mr. Hobart has much knowledge of the events, as well as, personal remembrances of the people involved, while Mr. Williams brings a historian's objective viewpoint to the events, described, including difficult situations.
If anyone is unfamiliar with the people and events of this work it is okay because the authors start at the "beginning" during C.C. Hobart's early years of formation and his advent in Troy, Ohio, and it allows the reader to "grow up" with the family, companies, and Troy as the book progresses.
A recommended book for anyone interested in the Hobart family, industrial history, or small Midwestern town development in the 20th Century.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important Work of Ohio History, June 5, 2005

By 

Beverly Smith, owner of Hollandays Publishing (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Industrial Hobarts (Paperback)

I am pleased to recommend The Industrial Hobarts: One family's story through the American Century. Both authors are Ohio natives. Michael Williams is a lifelong Ohioan and currently resides in Vandalia. Peter Hobart was born in Troy, Ohio, and is a dual citizen of the United States and Italy. His family has been an important part of Ohio industry for over a century.

The Industrial Hobarts tells the story of one of Ohio's most influential families. The book documents not only the growth of their business from small family concern to international corporation, but also traces the lives of the people who built one of Ohio's great businesses. It is an important work that connects the achievements of Hobart businesses to the American story of the past century.

Documentation sets this book apart. Hobart and Williams relied on many primary sources, including company archives and dozens of personal interviews, and the narrative flow reflects this first person information. Endnotes that include sources, a detailed index, and bibliography are often not included in company histories but are supplied here. The Industrial Hobarts is an important work of Ohio history.