Rudolph Wurlitzer, Sr.

Biography

Rudolph Wurlitzer, Sr. led the house of Wurlitzer during the period the text describes as its rise to pre-eminence. The firm was incorporated in 1890 as the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company with a capital of $200,000, later increased to $1,000,000; it also came to own the Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company, capitalized at $1,000,000. Two of his sons, Rudolph H. and Farney Wurlitzer, later joined the concern, each taking charge of a department. At the company's fiftieth anniversary in 1906, Rudolph Wurlitzer, Sr. was able to retire from active participation in the business. By the time of writing, the Wurlitzer Company was described as perhaps the largest manufacturer of mechanical instruments, including player pianos, with business connections covering all parts of the globe.

Highlights

• Presided over the incorporation of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company in 1890 with $200,000 capital, later raised to $1,000,000
• Retired from active participation in the business in 1906 at the firm's fiftieth anniversary
• Under his leadership the company grew to be perhaps the largest manufacturer of mechanical instruments, including player pianos

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), p. 355.

Public domain.