John Henry Patterson (NCR owner)

John Henry Patterson was an American industrialist who lived from December 13, 1844, to May 7, 1922. He is best known for founding the National Cash Register Company, which made machines to help businesses keep track of money and sales.

Patterson was not just a businessman; he was also a great salesman who helped people understand how useful these machines could be. His work changed the way stores and offices handled their money.

Besides his business achievements, Patterson showed great kindness during a big flood in Dayton in 1913. He helped organize relief efforts to support those affected by the disaster.

He also played a role in promoting a new way of running cities called the city manager form of government, which helped improve how towns were managed.

Early years

John Henry Patterson was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1844. He grew up working on his family’s farm and in his father’s sawmills. In 1862, he served in the 131st Ohio Volunteers. After finishing at Dartmouth College in 1867, he worked collecting tolls for canals until 1870. That year, he started managing the Southern Ohio Coal and Iron Company. In 1882, he invested in the National Manufacturing Company and, with his brother, bought it out by 1884 to create the National Cash Register Company.

Pioneering business practices

In 1893, John Henry Patterson built the first "daylight factory" with big windows that let in light and fresh air. This was a big change from the old, crowded factories of that time. He also brought in a special planner to make the factory grounds beautiful with grass and colorful plants. This planner also helped design a nice neighborhood near the factory and parks in Dayton.

Patterson started the world’s first school to train salespeople right at his factory in Dayton, Ohio. He believed strongly in keeping customers happy, and his service teams always remembered his rule: "We Cannot Afford To Have A Single Dissatisfied Customer."

NCR and IBM

John Henry Patterson was well-known for firing many employees, including Thomas Watson Sr, who later became a top leader at CTR, renamed IBM. Because so many important business leaders worked at NCR, some experts thought working there was like getting a special business education.

In 1912, NCR was found to have broken laws about fair competition. Patterson and several others were found guilty and faced time in prison. Many people felt this was unfair because Patterson had helped the community during a big flood in Dayton, Ohio, in 1913. Though some asked the president to forgive them, the decision was later changed in court, and the case was restarted.

Great Dayton Flood

During the Great Dayton Flood, John H. Patterson helped a lot with the recovery. Employees from his company built nearly 300 flat-bottomed boats, and Patterson organized teams to rescue people who were stuck on roofs and upper floors of buildings. He also turned his factory into a place where people could get food and a place to stay safe. Patterson worked with doctors and nurses to make sure everyone got medical help they needed. Because of his ideas, a new system was created to stop future floods along the Great Miami River, known as the Miami Conservancy District. This was one of the first big flood control projects in the United States.

Personal life

John Henry Patterson went to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and later graduated from Dartmouth College in 1867. He got married to Katharine Beck from Brookline, Massachusetts in 1888, and they had two children named Frederick and Dorothy. Sadly, Katharine passed away from an illness in 1894 when she was only 28 years old.

Patterson lived in a large house called "The Far Hills" in Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio. He also loved the Adirondacks and built a summer home on Beaver Lake in Lowville, NY. His family had homes there too, and some of these places are still used today. His nephew, Lt Frank Patterson, died in a plane crash during World War I, and a famous air base was later named to honor him and the Wright Brothers.

Death and legacy

John Henry Patterson passed away on May 7, 1922, just after talking about plans with General Billy Mitchell for a new aviation research center in Dayton. He was buried in the Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio. He did not leave a lot of money because he spent much of it on programs to help people at his company, and he believed that "shrouds have no pockets." He left the company to his son, Frederick Beck Patterson. Later, in 1926, $55 million in stock from the company was sold to the public, which was a very big deal at the time.

Patterson was honored by being added to the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1979. His ways of doing business influenced many leaders in the United States for many years. It was thought that during the years 1910 to 1930, about one-sixth of business leaders in the United States had worked for his company.