Henry Timken was an inventor and founder of the Timken Co.: PD 175

May 19, 2023

Henry Timken(PDHST Archive)

Name: Henry Timken

Date of Birth: Aug. 16, 1831 (died in 1909)

Birthplace: Bremen, Germany

Career Summary: Timken was an inventor, who founded Timken Roller Bearing and Axle Co. in 1899 with his sons, H.H. and William. It would later become Timken Co., based in the Canton area.The global company now produces engineered bearings, mechanical power transmission products and provides industrial services.

Timken was a carriage maker in St. Louis in the 1890s when he became intrigued by a problem common to heavy freight wagons; they had difficulty making sharp turns. Timken come up with a tapered roller bearing. Since his design allowed roller bearings to function more smoothly, the need for repairs and replacements were less frequent.

Best known for: Timken patented the tapered roller bearing. His earlier patented invention, the Timken Cross Spring also proved a lucrative entrepreneurial venture. In 1998, Timken was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, then in Akron, but now in Alexandria, Virginia.

Source: Timken.com, immigrantentrepreneurship.org

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