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Reed & Barton
| Name: | Reed & Barton |
|---|---|
| Dates: |
1840-2015 (Life/Active Dates)
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| Biography/History: | Henry G. Reed and Charles E. Barton, friends and fellow craftsmen, worked for the Taunton Britannia Manufacturing Company. When the business failed in 1834, Reed and Barton, just in their 20s, stepped in to buy it. In 1840, the company was renamed Reed & Barton. The two men ran the business for three decades. After Barton’s death in 1867, Reed carried on, retaining Barton in the company's name, while ownership of the firm was passed down through the Reed family. When Henry Reed died in 1901 at the age of 91, his son-in-law William B.H. Dowse replaced him as the head of the company. After decades of strong marketing efforts, Reed & Barton had developed a reputation for quality craftsmanship and fine design work, especially in sterling. In 1923, Dowse’s son-in-law Sinclair Weeks, Sr. succeeded him as Reed & Barton’s president. Weeks ran the company for nearly 50 years during which time the company became involved in producing stainless steel flatware. In 1971, Sinclair Weeks, Jr. replaced his father as the head of the company. A period of unsettled silver prices set in creating consumer uncertainty over the value of silver. Ultimately, the company succumbed to changing consumer tastes leading Reed & Barton’s to file bankruptcy in February 2015. The Lenox Company acquired the operating assets of the company in April and by June 2015 the Taunton, Massachusetts plant was shuttered. |
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