Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 20, 1984, American industrialist and engineer Claude Maxwell Stanley, originally from Corning, Iowa, died. Founder of Stanley Consultants, HON Furniture, and the Stanley Foundation, all based in Muscatine, Stanley left an indelible mark as an Iowa entrepreneur.
Born and raised in Corning, Stanley graduated from Corning High School in 1922 before obtaining a B.S. and an M.S. in engineering from the State University of Iowa. After getting married, Stanley moved to Muscatine, where he spent the rest of his life innovating.
In 1939, Stanley and his brother (Art) bought Central State Engineering and renamed the company Stanley Consultants. The company helped modernize Iowa by focusing on projects related to rural electrification, installation of municipal water systems, and state highway construction.
After WWII, Stanley and two partners started a company called Home-O-Nize, which focused on manufacturing steel cabinets. When the company slightly altered its name to HON Furniture and focused on office equipment, prosperity followed. The company grew to become the third-largest office equipment manufacturer in the United States. Later, in 1964, Stanley used his fortune to give back through the creation of the Stanley Foundation (now the Stanley Center for Peace and Security). #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
Comments