Carl Friden
Encyclopedia
Carl Friden was the Swedish
born American
mechanical engineer and businessman who founded the Friden Calculating Machine Company (Friden, Inc.
).
Carl M. Friden had been a mechanical engineer representing the Swedish Match Trust
. In 1913, Friden traveled to in London, England to assemble match machines for his company. In 1914, he traveled to Australia
with the same purpose in mind, but was stranded there when World War I
broke out. In the interim he worked on his ideas for designing a more reliable calculator. Two years later he headed to San Francisco on an American
steamer to get part way home, but that is where he stayed. He found his place in the Marchant Calculating Machine Co.
of Oakland
within a year. When the U.S. Government made Marchant discontinue its current model because it violated some German patents, Carl Friden filled the void with his own model.
Friden became the chief designer of the Marchant Calculating Machine Company. While there he introduced his new design which reduced the number of calculator parts by one-third, thus increasing their reliability. Friden continued to develop the modified-pinwheel machines at Marchant during the 1920s. His machines were robust and quickly became popular.
When he started his own company, his early calculators were marked "Fridén", with the accent.
and his brother-in-law Charles T. Gruenhagen, both executives with the American Forest Products Corporation
together with their associates, J. B. Lewis of the American Box Company and C. A. Webster of the Stockton Box Company.
Carl Friden already had a number of patents to his credit, including an early calculating machine. Friden's company introduced a calculator that included a square root function in 1952, then went on in 1963 to introduce the model EC-130, the fully transistorized electronic calculator. In 1963 the company was purchased by the Singer Corporation
.
, a Lutheran, and a Republican
. In 1945, Carl Friden died of cancer.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
mechanical engineer and businessman who founded the Friden Calculating Machine Company (Friden, Inc.
Friden, Inc.
Friden Calculating Machine Company was an American manufacturer of typewriters and electronic calculators. It was founded by Carl Friden in San Leandro, California in 1934. Friden electromechanical calculators were robust and popular....
).
Background
A company biography of Carl Friden (document identity long lost) from the 1960s or before stated that he was born Carl Bengtsson, and said it was the Swedish custom at the time to assume a new surname (instead of the patronymic, apparently). He chose "Fridén" as his surname. Although Friden employees wer told that his adopted name means "Peace" in Swedish, Google translate doesn't support that; it does recognize "frid" as "peace". A different biography, apparently written by his family, makes no mention of this.Carl M. Friden had been a mechanical engineer representing the Swedish Match Trust
Swedish Match
Swedish Match is a Swedish company based in Stockholm that makes snus, tobacco, cigars , Red Man Chewing Tobacco, dipping tobacco, matches and lighters. It was founded as Svenska Tändsticksaktiebolaget by Ivar Kreuger in 1917 in Jönköping...
. In 1913, Friden traveled to in London, England to assemble match machines for his company. In 1914, he traveled to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
with the same purpose in mind, but was stranded there when World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
broke out. In the interim he worked on his ideas for designing a more reliable calculator. Two years later he headed to San Francisco on an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
steamer to get part way home, but that is where he stayed. He found his place in the Marchant Calculating Machine Co.
Marchant Calculator
The Marchant Calculating Machine Co. was founded in 1911 by Rodney and Alfred Marchant in Oakland, California.The company built mechanical, and then electromechanical calculators which had a reputation for reliability. First models were similar to the Odhner arithmometer. In 1918, employee Carl...
of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
within a year. When the U.S. Government made Marchant discontinue its current model because it violated some German patents, Carl Friden filled the void with his own model.
Friden became the chief designer of the Marchant Calculating Machine Company. While there he introduced his new design which reduced the number of calculator parts by one-third, thus increasing their reliability. Friden continued to develop the modified-pinwheel machines at Marchant during the 1920s. His machines were robust and quickly became popular.
When he started his own company, his early calculators were marked "Fridén", with the accent.
Friden Calculating Machine Company
Carl Friden left the Marchant Calculating Machine Company in 1934 (during the Depression) to establish his own calculator company. Four investors came to the firm's aid with funds to add to Carl Friden's limited finances. These investors were Walter S. JohnsonWalter S. Johnson
Walter S. Johnson was a notable businessman and philanthropistin San Francisco, California. He was one of the founders of theAmerican Forest Products Corporation, a Fortune 500 company in the...
and his brother-in-law Charles T. Gruenhagen, both executives with the American Forest Products Corporation
American Forest Products Corporation
American Forest Products Corporation was the name of a Fortune 500 company that began in the 1920s and endured under the same leadership until it was sold to the Bendix Corporation in 1963....
together with their associates, J. B. Lewis of the American Box Company and C. A. Webster of the Stockton Box Company.
Carl Friden already had a number of patents to his credit, including an early calculating machine. Friden's company introduced a calculator that included a square root function in 1952, then went on in 1963 to introduce the model EC-130, the fully transistorized electronic calculator. In 1963 the company was purchased by the Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation
Singer Corporation is a manufacturer of sewing machines, first established as I.M. Singer & Co. in 1851 by Isaac Merritt Singer with New York lawyer Edward Clark. Best known for its sewing machines, it was renamed Singer Manufacturing Company in 1865, then The Singer Company in 1963. It is...
.
Personal
Friden married Hildur Victoria Svenson in 1914 in Stockholm, Sweden. They had two children, Stanley Mauritz Victor and Barbro. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical EngineersAmerican Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is a professional body, specifically an engineering society, focused on mechanical engineering....
, a Lutheran, and a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. In 1945, Carl Friden died of cancer.
External links
- Friden tribute website accessed March 4, 2006