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Key Highlights
- Hartman founded the Hartman Typewriter Company in 1895.
- He also founded Hartman Automobiles during the time of the first world war.
- His Model A car introduced windshield wipers in cars.
“The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity.” —Peter Drucker
For so long, the spirit of entrepreneurship has been deeply intertwined with the American dream. Over time, numerous ambitious individuals have embarked on new ventures and innovations that have reshaped the nation’s economic landscape. One such pioneering entrepreneur was Arnold Federic Hartman, whose foresight and tenacity left an indelible mark on the turn of the 20th century. His innovations were transformative, and while his name may be less familiar today, Hartman’s life is a testament to the classic rags-to-riches story that continues to inspire countless aspiring entrepreneurs.
Read this article to learn about Arnold Federic Hartman’s journey from modesty to a tycoon in the entrepreneurial world. How did he reach the pinnacle of success?
Early Life Of Arnold Federic Hartman
Arnold was born in 1867. The specific date of his birth is unknown. In the rural territory of Nebraska, Arnold was born on a farm to his parents – Fredrich and Adeline Hartman. His parents were immigrants in the United States, having moved from Germany.
Arnold’s father was a blacksmith and mechanics expert who had parted Arnold a fair chunk of his skills. As German fathers came in part and parcel, he was also, to some extent, strict, making sure that his children were raised disciplined.
The couple ensured their children would get the best upbringing possible as immigrants. This caring nature and family sacrifice shaped essential virtues in young Arnold that would help him form his business empire in later life.
Early Business Beginnings
At the age of 16, Hartman joined an apprenticeship in a shop in Lincoln, Nebraska. He already had skills learned from his father that helped him shine in his innate mechanical abilities. He learned quickly enough that he had a special knack for understanding the inner workings of equipment.
The Start Of A Business Empire
After completing his apprenticeship, Arnold Federic Hartman went to St. Louis, Missouri, to join a large manufacturer of steam engines and machine tools. While serving as a machinist and later as a supervisor, Hartman built up valuable expertise in metalwork, machinery running, and factory management during the following years.
Seeing an opportunity in this absolutely new field of typing technology, Hartman founded the Hartman Typewriter Company in 1895. He hired a team of engineers and machinists who could produce innovative typewriter designs that gave the company the edge it needed over the competition. Hartman’s personal mechanical expertise was invaluable in directing the technical aspects as the typewriter industry rapidly advanced.
Proceeds from Hartman’s successful typewriter company provided the financing for his next major business venture: the Electric Power and Light Company, founded in 1905. Hartman envisioned bringing electricity to the underserved Midwestern towns, making amenities like lighting, refrigeration, and machinery available. His company installed regional hydroelectric plants and transmission lines and pioneered electric infrastructure that helped communities modernize.
Automobiles During World War
In 1910, a new influential era of Hartman Industries began with the establishment of Hartman Automobile Company. It manufactures affordable and high-quality vehicles for the masses.
This was a daring time to operate an automobile business. With the beginning of World War 1, a sharp dip in material availability posed a threat. Yet Hartman, with his skills, swiftly took the company ahead, even expanding in size.
In 1920, he launched the iconic Model A series, which sold over 1 million units. The new model had amenities that were never found in automobiles before. Speedometers, gas gauges, and windshield wipers would later become the standard in automobile manufacturing.
In the next decade, Hartman became one of the most sought-after names among the US automotive manufacturers. Their models made cars more user-friendly and played an essential role in the modern designs of automobiles.
Business In Later Life
Later in his career, Arnold Federic Hartman turned to the up-and-coming home appliance industry. Hartman founded the Hartman Electric Devices Company in 1935 to manufacture refrigerators and washing machines, among other appliances that increased amenities. Hartman applied techniques of assembly developed in the auto industry to appliance manufacturing, making labor-saving devices more accessible to the public.
Even in advanced age and after retirement from active daily business concerns in 1950, Hartman held the position of consulting director of all his companies, while his matchless experience continued to prove invaluable. In 1959 at 92, he died when his enterprises employed more than 50,000 people, and their revenues exceeded $500 million annually.
Arnold Federic Hartman Love And Family Life
While he was doing his first apprenticeship in Lincoln, Arnold’s romance life would also take a turn. He met his future wife, Angelica De Jesus Ortiz Sandoval. His wife was a child of Mexican immigrant parents.
He eventually married Angelica in 1889, and they had a daughter named Angelica Maria. Hartman was married to his wife for 60 years, never leaving her side.
Together, the couple lovingly raised their daughter, giving her the best education. Maria would grow up to play a critical role in developing the Hartman industries.
His Legacy and Autobiography
Arnold’s autobiography, From Apprentice to Entrepreneur, was published in 1992. It explains his passion for machines and development. He states that the machine age brought convenience to the masses. However, he stresses that without the human mind developing these machines, there’d be nothing.
This is true and food for thought. Without humans and a desire to progress, development in life or manufacturing does not come quickly. Hartman’s human spirit of inventiveness was the impetus for such an influential break in America’s history. A lifetime’s passion for mechanical systems led him to founding ventures that brought electricity, transportation, communication, and domestic conveniences to communities nationwide. Hartman kept the vision to see where others may not be able to see opportunities for improvement and the firm’s will and persistence to take steps toward that vision.
Conclusion
Beyond being an unstoppable force in business, Hartman is one of the finest examples of why people believe America is the dream. He is the American dream. A man of immigrant parents who came from nothing and then built all of it from scratch.
It proves that where intentions lie good and there is a will to achieve something, nothing in the world can stop you from doing otherwise.
