White Sewing Machine Company
The White Sewing Machine Company was a sewing machine company founded in 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts, by Thomas H. White and based in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1866. History Founded as the White Manufacturing Company it took the White Sewing Machine Company name when it was incorporated in 1876. White Sewing Machines won numerous awards at international expositions, including the 1889 Universelle Exposition in Paris. White began supplying sewing machines to Sears Roebuck and Co in the 1920s. By the 1930s, all Sears sewing machines were Whites rebadged as Kenmore, Franklin, Minnesota, and other house brands. A White Rotary Electric Series 77 machine was placed in the Crypt of Civilization. White Motor Company In 1900, Thomas White's son, Rollin, developed a steam engine, using a corner of one of his father's factories to start building automobiles. In 1906 the automotive venture was spun off as its own company, the White Motor Company. By 1923, the White Sewing Machine Company had divested all side ventures to focus solely on sewing machines and accessories. Later History By the early 1950s, however, White was losing money amid a flood of cheaper imported sewing machines and the loss of a supplier contract from Sears, which