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1st in a series of 4
John Moses Brunswick was born in 1819 in Bremgarten, Switzerland. Even as a young man, Brunswick was a man of vision, courage and conviction. Before he was 15, he left his home with next
to nothing and sailed for America, where he worked as an errand boy, a carriage-maker's apprentice, and a river steamboat trader.
1845
The company which later evolved into Brunswick Corporation
was founded when John Brunswick invested the savings he had accumulated from his trading activities, and started his own carriage-making firm. The doors were first opened on September 15th. Brunswick had great
aspirations and high standards of quality He also had an entrepreneurial vision, and was quick to seize a challenge and recognize an opportunity That's why when there were no carriages to be made, he had his
Cincinnati carriage-making company produce other wood products such as cabinets, tables, chairs, and, eventually, billiard tables.
One night at a fashionable dinner party, John Brunswick saw a billiard table
that was made in England. He was fascinated by the workmanship and design, and immediately decided that, while billiard tables were not tremendously popular at that time, they were a product with enormous potential.
And toward the end of 1845, the J.M. Brunswick Company produced the first Brunswick billiard table. The first table was a masterpiece of woodworking craftsmanship and design. It was well received, and Brunswick's
billiard table business was off and running.
1848
The firm opened its first sales office in Chicago, as Brunswick expanded the business by bringing his half-brothers into the company and
establishing branch offices in several midwestern and southern cities.
1872
In 1872, the company name was changed to the J.M. Brunswick Billiard Manufacturing Company. Moses Bensinger,
Brunswick's son-in-law who contributed greatly to the business for many years, was made a vice, president. As billiards became a popular public pastime, competition among billiard manufacturers was fierce.
Brunswick's company, J.M. Brunswick & Brothers, competed for market share with Julius Balke's Great Western Billiard Manufactory in Cincinnati, and Phelan & Collender of New York.
1873
In 1873, Moses Bensinger helped expand the Brunswick Company by joining forces with a competitor, Julius Balke's Great Western Billiard Manufactory The new company was called the J.M. Brunswick & Balke Company,
and it was incorporated with a capital stock of $275,000.
1884
The year of 1884 witnessed another important step forward. After a merger with another competitor, H.W. Collender Company of New
York, the company was renamed the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, and the capital stock grew to $1.5 million.
1886
In 1886, John M. Brunswick, the visionary founder of the company, died after
suffering a heart attack. H.W. Collender succeeded him as president.
1890
In 1890, after the death of H.W. Collender, Moses Bensinger became president of the company. Bensinger was responsible
for the company's entry into the production of ornate wooden back bars, and he also oversaw the refinement and improvement of its billiard products. Most importantly, Moses Bensinger was instrumental in bringing
Brunswick into the bowling business. He saw great potential in the still-emerging field, and carefully planned the steps that would make Brunswick the bowling leader that it has been ever since.
1895
Moses Bensinger was one of the founders of the American Bowling Congress (ABC), and the Congress' creation in 1895 was the direct result of his strong efforts toward that goal.
1901
Bensinger was also an eloquent spokesman for the concept of a national bowling championship. His vision came to fruition in 1901, when the first ABC tournament was held in Chicago. The tourney was played on
Brunswick equipment, as has most often been the case throughout its history
1904
Moses Bensinger died in October, 1904, and a new era of progress began as his son Benjamin took over the
leadership of the expanding, highly successful company.
end of the first page.
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