Curtis N. Kimball

Biography

Curtis N. Kimball was born on his father's farm in Iowa and, at seventeen, was summoned by his uncle, W. W. Kimball, to Chicago to learn the business. He attended evening classes at the Bryant-Stratton business college of Chicago to master accounting, factory management, distribution, the agency system, and financial operations. In 1898 he was elected vice-president of the W. W. Kimball Company, and in 1905 he succeeded his uncle as president of the corporation. Under his direction the company enlarged the market for and prestige of the Kimball piano, maintaining its position in the concert halls of America and Europe. Described as democratic, an attentive listener, and a man of ready intellect and inflexible integrity, he enjoyed the loyal support of associates and employees, many of whom worked with him for years. He patronized opera and concerts, was a connoisseur of rare books and paintings, and kept a valuable art collection at his country estate, 'Ridgewood.'

Highlights

• Rose from farm boy in Iowa to president of the W. W. Kimball Company
• Enlarged the Kimball piano's market and prestige in concert halls of America and Europe
• Collector of rare books and paintings at his country estate, 'Ridgewood'

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. II (1913), pp. 116, 117.

Public domain.