Hotpoint questions

Earl Richardson was working for a power company in Ontario Ca. at the turn of the century when he came up with the first electric iron. At that time power companies only generated electricity between dusk and dawn for lighting purposes, they yet had to realize how generating current all day for the use of other electrical appliances would make them $$$$. Anyway, Earl got the idea of inventing a electric iron and did so. He then gave free trial models to some housewives in Ontario after persuading his boss to generate current all day on Tuesday so the iron's could be used (remember that at the turn of the century Monday was wash day and Tuesday was ironing day). When Earl collected his demo units most of the women said the only complaint they had was that it got to hot in the middle to do a very good job. It was Mrs. Richardson who suggested to her husband when he told her what the ladies said, that what was really needed was an iron that got hot at the point for doing around ruffles and pleats which were promenent in womans clothing of the period. Taking his wifes advice Earl designed an iron that had the heating elements converge at the tip and christened it the Hotpoint. He distributed his nrw prototypes and when he went back for these none of the ladies who had loaned tham to for the trial wanted to give them up and the Hotpoint company was born. In 1922 Hotpoint, Hughes Electric (the inventor of the first practical electric range) and the heating device department of GE all merged together as the Edison electric Company with Hotpoint as the brand name and that is how and when GE and Hotpoint became affiliated. PATRICK COFFEY


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Post# 107253 2/1/2006 at 18:46 (6,656 days old) by sambootoo (Moody, AL)
Checkrate/Likes I have spotted a Hotpoint "decorator dryer" model #LB 620 rusting away in the woods. This is definitely a pre GE style dryer... I remember seeing a few dryers with this same console MANY years ago, but they had the GE style door, drum, lint filter, etc. I can't really check this machine out thoroughly in the woods, the property owner is kind of scary!!! Does anyone have any info on these washers/dryers? I'd love to see pictures, etc. My sister had the matching washer to this dryer in the late 60's...had the "fountain filter" which was fun to watch. We also had friends who had an Easy washer about the same time with the same console. Was there a Hotpoint-Easy connection before Hotpoint and GE merged? Any information would be appreciated

Post# 107262 , Reply# 1 2/1/2006 at 19:47 (6,656 days old) by thirtyater ()
Checkrate/Likes *Edison General Electric Hotpoint* I don't know about the dryer, I would love to see pics. I do believe, however that Hotpoint has always been a part of GE. GE started as (Thomas) Edison General Electric, later known as General Electric, now known as GE. GE made the first iron with a hot point for ironing around buttons. This is when the GE Hotpoint name was born. Hope I got all that correct!

Post# 107429 , Reply# 2 2/2/2006 at 20:57 (6,655 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes I saw a very similar dryer to the one you describe last week at the sales. It was gas, harvest gold and interesting to see. Thirty - you are very close to the origin of Hotpoint, but Hotpoint was owned by Edison and was the inventor of the Calrod heating element. General Electric bought out the Hotpoint name in the 1930's to get the Calrod unit which everyone is familiar with and is still used by GE today. The Hotpoint name was coined because the Calrod heating elements extended all the way to the very tip of the iron, Hot-point.

Post# 107448 , Reply# 3 2/2/2006 at 22:00 (6,655 days old) by swestoyz (Cedar Falls, IA)
Checkrate/Likes Greg - thanks for the Appliance History 101 lesson! Much enjoyed. Ben

Post# 107450 , Reply# 4 2/2/2006 at 22:02 (6,655 days old) by westytoploader ()
Checkrate/Likes Wow Greg, thanks for the info...didn't realize GE had the Hotpoint name so far back, before the perforated-tub "clones"...

Post# 107451 , Reply# 5 2/2/2006 at 22:02 (6,655 days old) by gansky1 (Omaha, The Home of the TV Dinner!)
Checkrate/Likes *Pay it forward...* I learned it all here!

Post# 107484 , Reply# 6 2/2/2006 at 23:44 (6,655 days old) by cadman (Cedar Falls, IA)
Checkrate/Likes *Adding to Greg's info...* That inventor's name escapes me at the moment, but the story I remember was that around the turn of the century electricity was starting to proliferate in larger cities and this bright fellow took a look at what electricity could do for the housewife. Sad irons were heavy, cumbersome and dangerous, so why not see if the electrical servant might make life easier. He designed a clothes iron that was electrically heated and offered it door-to-door to the women of the households. I believe he went through several revisions, making improvements based upon their suggestions, but the problem remained that only the major surface area would heat, making it difficult to point and work buttons. Like Greg said, he was able to create an element that would allow the tip of the iron to get hot enough to do the job without scorching the center, and there's your Hotpoint. It was such a success he became the leading US iron manufacturer at the time. Why I know this? I'm not entirely sure, I think I was curious about how far back GE and Hotpoint went after picking up my stove and fridge last year. -Cory

Post# 107503 , Reply# 7 2/3/2006 at 05:06 (6,654 days old) by appliguy (Oakton Va.)
Checkrate/Likes *Your very close Cory and Greg......* Earl Richardson was working for a power company in Ontario Ca. at the turn of the century when he came up with the first electric iron. At that time power companies only generated electricity between dusk and dawn for lighting purposes, they yet had to realize how generating current all day for the use of other electrical appliances would make them $$$$. Anyway, Earl got the idea of inventing a electric iron and did so. He then gave free trial models to some housewives in Ontario after persuading his boss to generate current all day on Tuesday so the iron's could be used (remember that at the turn of the century Monday was wash day and Tuesday was ironing day). When Earl collected his demo units most of the women said the only complaint they had was that it got to hot in the middle to do a very good job. It was Mrs. Richardson who suggested to her husband when he told her what the ladies said, that what was really needed was an iron that got hot at the point for doing around ruffles and pleats which were promenent in womans clothing of the period. Taking his wifes advice Earl designed an iron that had the heating elements converge at the tip and christened it the Hotpoint. He distributed his nrw prototypes and when he went back for these none of the ladies who had loaned tham to for the trial wanted to give them up and the Hotpoint company was born. In 1922 Hotpoint, Hughes Electric (the inventor of the first practical electric range) and the heating device department of GE all merged together as the Edison electric Company with Hotpoint as the brand name and that is how and when GE and Hotpoint became affiliated. PATRICK COFFEY

Post# 107514 , Reply# 8 2/3/2006 at 06:38 (6,654 days old) by customline (pennsylvania)
Checkrate/Likes *Well, well* Couldn't have said it better myself.

Post# 107516 , Reply# 9 2/3/2006 at 06:47 (6,654 days old) by toggleswitch (New York City, NY)
Checkrate/Likes WOW This is is great history. LOVE this kind of read. Thanks all.

Post# 107584 , Reply# 10 2/3/2006 at 13:20 (6,654 days old) by coldspot66 (Plymouth, Mass)
Checkrate/Likes There is a book called "A Walk Through The Park" that chroniciles the history of Edison/General Electric from the start. The Hotpoint story is in there. It is a fascinating read because it focuses on appliances, and particularly, Appliance Park in Louisville Kentucky. Appliance Park was opened in 1954 and consolidated most of GE's manufacturing operations at the time. LOTS of pics and stories of how things came to be. I would LOVE to visit Appliance Park....but I think it is a former shadow of itself; not what it was in it's heyday ( through the 80's)

Post# 107668 , Reply# 11 2/3/2006 at 20:51 (6,654 days old) by thirtyater ()
Checkrate/Likes *Appliance Park* Fantastic! I knew you pros could work the kinks out of my history lesson. Speaking of Appliance Park, I am just 2 hours away from AP. A relative of mine was Boss there in the late 50's - early 60's and spoke of a defunct models museum there once. Does anyone know anything about that? I would love to see that if it still exists which I doubt.