John Deere: John Deere was born February 7, 1804 in Rutland, Vermont and died May 17, 1886 in Moline, Illinois. John Deere was born to William and Sarah Deere. He was their third son. In 1805 the Deeres moved to Middlebury, Vermont, where his father was a tailor. In 1808, he got on a boat headed for England, hoping to get more money for his family. No one ever saw him again and he was declared dead at sea. (Company)
Raised only by his mother who made just enough money to get by, John’s education was likely average or just below average. When John turned 17, he learned blacksmithing, which he continued for the next 12 years. In 1836, John moved to Grand Detour, Illinois because business was so slow. Here, his blacksmithing skills were very high in demand. (Company) All new farmers were struggling to turn the sticky …show more content…
In 1843, he entered business with a man named Leonard Andrus in order to make more plows, as more people wanted them. By 1846, he was making 1,000 plows every year. (Britannica, John Deere) In 1847, John decided that Grand Detour did not have easy access to good transportation or resources. He broke off the partnership with Andrus and moved to Moline, Illinois. Here he was able to use imported steel from England, water power, cheaper transportation, and coal, leading to great success. Not long after this, he struck a deal with Pittsburgh manufacturers for the development of steel plates. (Britannica, John Deere) By 1857, John was making and selling 10,000 steel plows every year. A year later, John made his son Charles the Vice President of his company. While he technically was still the title owner of the company, he had his son in charge of everything. He turned his attention to other things. One of these was the National Bank of Moline, which he founded. On May 17, 1886, John Deere died in his home in Moline, Illinois. He was age 82 and died of natural causes. (Britannica, John
Raised only by his mother who made just enough money to get by, John’s education was likely average or just below average. When John turned 17, he learned blacksmithing, which he continued for the next 12 years. In 1836, John moved to Grand Detour, Illinois because business was so slow. Here, his blacksmithing skills were very high in demand. (Company) All new farmers were struggling to turn the sticky …show more content…
In 1843, he entered business with a man named Leonard Andrus in order to make more plows, as more people wanted them. By 1846, he was making 1,000 plows every year. (Britannica, John Deere) In 1847, John decided that Grand Detour did not have easy access to good transportation or resources. He broke off the partnership with Andrus and moved to Moline, Illinois. Here he was able to use imported steel from England, water power, cheaper transportation, and coal, leading to great success. Not long after this, he struck a deal with Pittsburgh manufacturers for the development of steel plates. (Britannica, John Deere) By 1857, John was making and selling 10,000 steel plows every year. A year later, John made his son Charles the Vice President of his company. While he technically was still the title owner of the company, he had his son in charge of everything. He turned his attention to other things. One of these was the National Bank of Moline, which he founded. On May 17, 1886, John Deere died in his home in Moline, Illinois. He was age 82 and died of natural causes. (Britannica, John