In an earlier issue, we looked at the inventive genius that was George Simonds - an inventive genius that spurred new and industry-leading products; an inventive genius that firmly established the company on an upward trajectory. But it would be younger brother Daniel (8th son of Abel Simonds, born in 1847) who would establish the company as a world-wide leader in saw-making.
Daniel Simonds attended school in Fitchburg and went to Comer's Commercial College in Boston after high school. Upon graduation, he started working for the company, working first as a clerk before moving out onto the shop floor. He was Vice President and Superintendent of the works from 1876 until 1886, when he assumed the presidency of the company upon his brother George's departure.
Recognizing that growth would come more and more from the western part of the country as the western territories became more developed, Daniel saw fit to commission the construction of a factory in Chicago in 1892, to service the middle and western portions of the country. This plant was an immediate success and was expanded many times. In fact, by 1900, the Chicago factory was larger than the Fitchburg factory.
Wanting to eliminate Simonds' dependence on foreign steel, Daniel added a steel mill to the Chicago factory in 1900. The great success of this venture led to the building of an all-new, greatly expanded steel mill featuring the most modern technologies known in Lockport, New York in 1911. Simonds' steelmaking legacy was long and impressive!
Always on the lookout for ways to expand both the product line and the geographic coverage of the company, Daniel's master strokes came in within weeks of each other. In December of 1905, Simonds expanded its product range with the acquisition of The Fitchburg File Works. Then, five weeks later, in January of 1906, Simonds expanded fully into the Canadian marketplace with the acquisition of The Canada Saw Company, consisting of a modern, new factory in Montreal and branches in St. John, Ottawa and Toronto. And both of these bold moves took place while the Fitchburg plant was being entirely rebuilt and greatly expanded!
Daniel Simonds passed away in 1913. His legacy included a cornerstone role in the development of technical and vocational education in the United States, in addition to the rich and strong legacy he left at Simonds. And his three sons would build upon this legacy, both in terms of social and commercial development.
