Howard E. Wurlitzer
b. September 5, 1871 · American
Biography
Howard E. Wurlitzer, president of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, is described as a far-seeing, brilliant organizer who easily assumed leadership when opportunities arrived. Born in Cincinnati on September 5, 1871, he went to work in his father's business immediately after finishing school at seventeen. In 1890 he made an extended trip through Europe visiting leading musical instrument manufacturers, and observing the growing trend toward automatically playing instruments, he began specializing in that branch, visiting Europe annually from 1902 onward. Believing the family should manufacture its own instruments, he induced his younger brothers to gain theoretical and practical training in Europe while he started the factories at Sawyer's Creek, New York. Quiet and unostentatious, he is credited with a remarkable memory, strong organizing and financial ability, and a careful, studied approach to business economics. As a member of Cincinnati's Civic Center Commission, he proposed far-reaching plans for relieving the city's congested business district and for civic beautification.
Highlights
- President of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company; born in Cincinnati September 5, 1871, and entered his father's business immediately after finishing school at seventeen.
- Made an extended European tour in 1890 and annual European trips since 1902 studying automatic musical instruments, leading him to establish factories at Sawyer's Creek, N.Y., and induce his younger brothers to train in instrument-making abroad.
- Served on Cincinnati's Civic Center Commission, proposing plans to relieve the congested business district and beautify the city.
Source
Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. II (1913), pp. 211, 212.
Public domain.