B. F. Goodrich Company, major American manufacturing company of the 20th century, noted for its production of automobile tires and ruber products.
In The Beginning
In 1869 Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich and his brother-in-law, Harvey W. Tew, purchased the Hudson River Rubber Company, a small business in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. The following year they accepted an offer of $13,600 from the citizens of Akron, Ohio, to relocate the business there.
B. F. Goodrich was first named Goodrich, Tew and Company. In the early days, the company manufactured rubberized hoses and belts as well as pneumatic tires for bicycles. As it continued to grow, B. F. Goodrich expanded further. Some of the company’s product development accomplishments are listed here:
Notable Accomplishments
- Produced the first pneumatic automobile tires made in the United States
- Produced the first rubber-wound golf ball
- Produced the first commercial tubeless tire
- Produced the first U.S. space suits
- Participated in the development of synthetic rubber
- Became one of the largest producers of polyvinyl chloride
By the middle of the 20th century, B. F.Goodrich ranked 67th among American corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.
The company went on to become one of the largest tire and rubber manufacturers in the world before being sold to Michelin.