 |
| Newton Alexander Johnson |
The Knickerbocker Brace Company, based in Easton, had a phrase from Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables as its advertising slogan: “Walk Upright Through Life.” Though it may qualify as good advice generally, Knickerbocker’s purpose in using it wasn’t philosophy, it was commerce.
Knickerbocker manufactured a contraption described as a “Combined Shoulder-Brace and Suspender." It was advertised as improving the wearer’s posture by preventing “round shoulders” and “expanding the chest”, thereby providing an “upright and manly carriage.” It achieved this by using straps around the shoulders, which in turn were connected to straps running across the back. It also had vertical straps that acted as suspenders for men’s pants or as a support for the underskirts of women.
On May 9, 1882, the United States Patent Office issued patent number 257,696 to a pair of New Yorkers: John D. Hanbury and Charles H. Clifton. (Some sources attribute the invention and its patent differently.) Clifton apparently assigned his interest to Hanbury and completely disappeared from the story. Just as quickly, one Newton Alexander Johnson, a drugstore operator in Guadalupe County, Texas, bought the rights to the invention.
Newton Johnson was born in 1837, to a well-established family in Monroe County, Virginia, (which later became part of West Virginia.) In 1854, when Newton was about 17, the Johnson family moved from Virginia to Illinois. He attended Indiana University and went on to become a teacher. He then operated a drugstore in Galesburg, IL, for a number of years. He married Augusta Little in 1866; the couple eventually had two sons and two daughters. (In some places, Mrs. Johnson’s name is shown as Julia Augusta Little Johnson.)
Around 1878, the Newton Johnson family moved from Illinois to Texas and Newton operated a drugstore there for about four years. Then, in the summer of 1882, very shortly after the brace was patented, he packed up his wife and children and relocated to Easton to begin the company’s operations. It’s not clear what led him to select Easton. At one time, he referenced his desire for his sons to go to Lafayette College as being a factor - but there certainly must have also been business reasons for locating here.
The Knickerbocker Brace Company began manufacturing operations at 333 Church Street, in a now-demolished building across Church Street from the back of today’s Easton Public Market. In July, the company advertised in the Easton Express for workers: “Wanted immediately: seven or eight girls . . . experienced operators in sewing machines preferred.”
There was a silent partner in the business; he was John D. Hanbury, one of the two men who originally patented the brace and sold it to Johnson. In 1882, a document was filed in Northampton County establishing a partnership between Hanbury and Johnson, to operate under the name of the Knickerbocker Brace Company. This John D. Hanbury may well have been colorful businessman J.D. Hanbury. If so, it must have been an interesting ride for Newton Johnson. Hanbury was what we might call an “operator” and partnerships were a favored tool for him. Lawsuits, accusations of fraud and restraining orders against him were not uncommon. Among other things, he was apparently involved with the Evans Vacuum Cap company, which peddled a device that supposedly restored bald men’s hair. (Not surprisingly, it did not work.) His base of operations was in California, although he was described as a frequent visitor to New York. At one point, he left the United States for Japan, where he set up a watch-making factory in Yokohama. The business failed after several years, and Hanbury returned to California.
Ten years later, an 1892 guide to Easton businesses noted that Knickerbocker provided “ . . . a very large number of men and women . . . constant employment,” and that it manufactured more “combined braces and suspenders than any other concern in the United States.” Newton Johnson’s business acumen wasn’t the only reason for Knickerbocker’s success; societal change also played a part. The “dress reform movement” in the United States and England was affecting the clothing purchase patterns of women; Knickerbocker’s brace was well-suited to the newer styles and its advertising was aimed at both genders.
In 1892, almost exactly ten years after Knickerbocker began, it was reorganized. A corporation, with capital of $25,000 was created to replace the partnership. Ownership shares were held by Newton, his two sons, George and Woodbridge, and by three valued employees. It’s possible that this reorganization was pre-planned from the start to cash-out Hanbury’s partnership share.
Knickerbocker grew; Newton Johnson built it into an international supplier, which allowed him to indulge his interest in world travel. He also established himself as one of Easton’s business and civic leaders. His home was on College Hill; he was instrumental in establishing the College Hill Presbyterian Church. His interests included the Easton Library Association, the Electric Railway Company, and the Board of Trade, which helped to recruit businesses to the area. He was one of the group of prominent Eastonians who attempted to establish the Paxinosa Inn and he was a director of the Northampton National Bank.
Over time, his health deteriorated. In 1908, he underwent unspecified surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. His recovery was slow and weeks later, on July 7 and still in the hospital, he unexpectedly died. His grave is in Section J of Easton Heights Cemetery, as is that of his wife, who died in California in 1913.
Both of the Johnson’s sons graduated from Easton High School and Lafayette College. The oldest, George, became a lawyer, practiced in St Louis for a number of years, then moved to California. He died there in 1918, at age 50.
The younger son, Woodbridge, became a physician and was a medical missionary in Korea before settling in to practice in California. He died in 1951 and is buried in the Los Angeles area; he was the only Johnson child who married and the only family member whose remains are buried away from Easton Heights Cemetery.
Daughters Julia and Ruth also graduated from Easton High School. Julia went on to graduate from Vassar College. She lived until she was 81, dying in 1952 in Monrovia, California.
The other daughter, Ruth, attended Mt. Holyoke Seminary. When she died in California in 1924, an extensive obituary was published for her in the Easton Express. It was noted that she was one of the “prime movers” in founding Easton’s YWCA and that she was a charter member of the Fortnightly Club, an organization that still continues today. The obituary praised her “charm of manner” and “sunny disposition”.
Following World War I, there was a widespread shift from suspenders to belts among men, negatively affecting Knickerbocker. The company managed to survive until the 1920s, ending up at the Semple Building, 325 Northampton Street. There doesn’t seem to be any trace of it in Easton today. It’s not certain whether any of the braces still exist; it is said that an avid collector of Easton memorabilia searched diligently, but unsuccessfully, for one. Nevertheless, the Knickerbocker Brace Company provided employment for a number of Eastonians for a number of years, and the Johnsons were certainly part of the fabric of Easton life. Hopefully, they will not be entirely forgotten.
 |
| Patent Application |
 |
| Johnson Family Plot |
No comments:
Post a Comment