| Founder | Landon P. Smith John Francis Hemenway |
|---|---|
| Defunct | 1897 |
Red Devil is a manufacturer of caulking, glazing, sealants and related surface preparation tools for glaziers, painters and masons. They are a privately owned family business with manufacturing facilities in Pryor, Oklahoma.[1] The company is currently headquartered in Pryor, Oklahoma.[2]
History
The company was founded as Smith & Hemenway Company, in 1872 by Landon P. Smith and John Francis Hemenway in Hill, New Hampshire.[1][3] The company manufactured the "Woodward Wizard", patented by Frank R. Woodward in 1875, for cutting glass.[3][4] During a trip to Sweden, Smith heard a blacksmith call sparks "those little red devils" and he named the tool after that phrase.[1]
In 1926 Landon P. Smith bought John Francis Hemenway's shares in the company and Hemenway retired.[5] In 1932, general manager George Ludlow Lee, Sr. acquired Vesco Tools Company's line of wood scrapers.[1] In the 1950s George Ludlow Lee, Sr. became chairman of the board.[2] In 1963 George Ludlow Lee, Jr. acquired Schalk Chemical Company adding adhesives and cleaners to the companies product line.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "About Red Devil". Red Devil, Inc. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ^ a b "George Ludlow Lee Dead; Headed Red Devil Company". New York Times. August 10, 1966. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ^ a b "Red Devil". Bullworks. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
- ^ Janice Hugron Harvey (September 2001). Around Newfound Lake. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738509600.
- ^ "Change in Smith & Hemenway Co., Manufacturer of "Red Devil" Tools". Engineering world. 1926. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
External links
- Official website
- Red Devil tools
