Frederick George Jones

Biography

Frederick George Jones was born at Coburg, Canada, on March 19, 1847, with only scant schooling. He began earning his living at age twelve as an errand boy in a book store, moved to Oregon, Illinois, in 1865, and opened a general merchandise store there in 1868. He subscribed heavily to the capital stock when the Schiller Piano Company was organized in 1891; when the company faltered, he bought up the stock of dissatisfied shareholders and took over management, growing annual output from 300 pianos in 1892 to nearly 6,000 in 1912 and capital from $25,000 to nearly $400,000 while paying regular dividends. He served on the School Board and as Alderman of Oregon, Illinois, later started an iron foundry, developed hydroelectric power for the city, and became connected with a Chicago financial institution. He died on March 13, 1913. His three sons, George H., Edgar B., and Cyrus F. Jones, took over management of the business.

Highlights

• Bought out dissatisfied stockholders of the struggling Schiller Piano Company and turned it into a major success
• Grew annual output from 300 pianos in 1892 to nearly 6,000 in 1912 and capital from $25,000 to nearly $400,000
• Later founded an iron foundry and developed water power for electric light and power in Oregon, Illinois

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. II (1913), pp. 165, 166.

Public domain.