Wheaton Industries
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Wheaton Industries was a long-standing famous manufacturer of glassware and ceramics products in Millville, New Jersey in the United States. Founded in 1888 by Dr. Theodore Corson Wheaton, it became a mainstay of the economy of southern New Jersey, which gained a reputation as the center of commercial glass manufacturing in the United States. The company was run by the Wheaton family for nearly its entire existence, and its height it had 41 factories throughout the United States and subsidiaries in 20 other countries. Many of its vintage products continue to be collectors items. Since 2000, it has been a subsidiary of Alcan Packaging as Wheaton Science Products.
[edit] History
The company was founded by Thedore C. Wheaton, a pharmacist and businessman who in 1883 settled in Millville, in Cumberland County southeast of Philadelphia. Southern New Jersey had by that time emerged as the center of U.S. glass manufacturing because of the prevalence of natural resources such as wood, sand, soda ash and silica. Wheaton became particularly interested in the manufacture of pharmaceutical glassware, and in 1888 he established a small factory on the outskirts of Millville to manufacture his own bottles. The company became known as the T.C. Wheaton Co. Anticipating future growth of the company, Wheaton purchased 25 square blocks in Millville in an area bounded by Third Street, Wheaton Avenue and north to railroad siding which allowed the company to expand over the following decades. Wheaton's son, Frank H. Wheaton Sr. entered the company in 1889. Two years later, the company suffered a financial setback when T.C. Wheaton entered into a bad business venture that left the company ten years to pay off.
Frank Sr. assumed the presidency of the company in 1931 after the death of his father. He became known as the "dean of American glassware" during his tenure as company president. Despite the Great Depression, the company expanded greatly during the 1930s through the use of automation. The expansion continued through the 1940s and 1950s with acquisitions and new factory construction. The Millville facility became the basis of the local economy, employing family members over several generations throughout the 20th century.
Frank Wheaton Jr. took over the management of the company from his father in 1966. Frank Sr. remained board chairman until his death at age 102 in 1983. While he was company president, Frank Jr. founded Wheaton Village (not affiliated with the company), a non-profit living museum and artisan colony in Millville that preserves the heritage of traditional glassmaking in southern New Jersey. He was ousted by the board of directors in 1991 after a long-running dispute with the Internal Revenue Service. In 1996 the company was acquired by Algroup, a firm based in Switzerland that was itself acquired by Alcan of Canada in 2000. Frank Jr. died in 1998. As a subsidiary of Alcan, the company continues to manufacture glassware and ceramics, specializing in scientific and laboratory applications. Wheaton Village continues to be a popular tourist attraction. The company's large variety of products, including recognizable consumer products, has spawned a community of collectors with sales on sites such as Ebay. Many of the company's products are on display at the Museum of American Glassware at Wheaton Village.
