Walter Bowes
Encyclopedia
Walter Bowes was an English-born industrialist and sportsman who came to fame in the United States as the co-founder of Pitney Bowes
.
An entrepreneur
and salesman, he achieved great success as a businessman and also had a passion for racing yachts and horses.
He co-founded the Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter Company in 1920. Today, the company that bears his name, Pitney Bowes Inc., is a $6.1 billion provider of software, hardware and services related to documents, packaging, mailing and shipping, collectively referred to as the mailstream
.
, England, in 1882 and later moved to the United States
.
He began his career as a salesman. In one of his earliest jobs at the Addressograph Company, an Iowa-based manufacturer of addressing systems, he achieved some success—but quit the company after a year so he could sail his 23-foot sloop.
In 1908 he was selling check-endorsing machines, and a year later he bought the Universal Stamping Machine Company. Within a few years, his company had established relationships with the U.S. Postal Service, providing stamp-cancelling machines on a rental basis. Between 1912 and 1917 he achieved prominence in postal circles for his promotion of permit printing of mail. He expanded internationally, selling his machines to Germany
, England
and Canada
. In 1917, he moved his operation to Stamford, Connecticut
.
While he was successful selling stamp-cancelling machines, Bowes felt that postage stamps would become obsolete—and that a more automated way to apply postage could present opportunities. A postal official suggested he contact Arthur Pitney
, an inventor who had been working on such a device for nearly two decades. When they met in 1919, Pitney had already invested $90,000 in his invention, his patents were expiring and his company, the American Postage Meter Company had had little to show for his efforts.
By 1919, the two men combined their firms and the Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter Company was born. While Pitney was the inventor, Bowes concentrated his activities in Washington, lobbying for the passage of the necessary legislation that would open the door for the postage meter. The United States Congress
passed the enabling legislation in 1920, and the first piece of metered mail—a letter from Bowes to his wife—was posted on December 10, 1920. By 1922, 400 meters were in service, accounting for more than $4 million in postage.
While the company was growing, neither Pitney nor Bowes enjoyed this success. The two men were constantly at odds and in 1924, Arthur Pitney resigned from the company after a dispute with Bowes. After the co-founder’s departure, uncertainty reigned at Pitney Bowes and Bowes’ stepson, Walter Wheeler II, was promoted to general manager to instill leadership and find new direction.
A 1939 article in Time
notes that “Walter Bowes is nervous, restless; he hates a desk and office hours, prefers to putter about his home.” An accomplished sportsman, he devoted much if his time to racing yachts and horses. In 1929, Bowes sailed his six-meter Saleema to an international championship.
Walter Bowes shifted from president to Chairman of Pitney Bowes in 1938. Two years later, he retired with a 10-year consulting contract. Bowes continued to enjoy the good life until his death in 1957 at the age of 75.
Pitney Bowes
Pitney Bowes Inc. is a Stamford, Connecticut-based manufacturer of software and hardware and a provider of services related to documents, packaging, mailing, and shipping, collectively referred to as mailstream. The company has approximately 36,000 employees worldwide. It is one of 87 existing...
.
An entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and salesman, he achieved great success as a businessman and also had a passion for racing yachts and horses.
He co-founded the Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter Company in 1920. Today, the company that bears his name, Pitney Bowes Inc., is a $6.1 billion provider of software, hardware and services related to documents, packaging, mailing and shipping, collectively referred to as the mailstream
Mailstream
The term mailstream was coined in the late 20th century to recognize the emerging industry that combined business insight, customer engagement, document workflow and mail production....
.
Biography
Walter Bowes was born in Maw Street, BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
, England, in 1882 and later moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He began his career as a salesman. In one of his earliest jobs at the Addressograph Company, an Iowa-based manufacturer of addressing systems, he achieved some success—but quit the company after a year so he could sail his 23-foot sloop.
In 1908 he was selling check-endorsing machines, and a year later he bought the Universal Stamping Machine Company. Within a few years, his company had established relationships with the U.S. Postal Service, providing stamp-cancelling machines on a rental basis. Between 1912 and 1917 he achieved prominence in postal circles for his promotion of permit printing of mail. He expanded internationally, selling his machines to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 1917, he moved his operation to Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
.
While he was successful selling stamp-cancelling machines, Bowes felt that postage stamps would become obsolete—and that a more automated way to apply postage could present opportunities. A postal official suggested he contact Arthur Pitney
Arthur Pitney
Arthur H. Pitney was an American inventor best known as the father of the postage meter.Postage meters are used today by millions of businesses to imprint postage on envelopes and parcels...
, an inventor who had been working on such a device for nearly two decades. When they met in 1919, Pitney had already invested $90,000 in his invention, his patents were expiring and his company, the American Postage Meter Company had had little to show for his efforts.
By 1919, the two men combined their firms and the Pitney-Bowes Postage Meter Company was born. While Pitney was the inventor, Bowes concentrated his activities in Washington, lobbying for the passage of the necessary legislation that would open the door for the postage meter. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
passed the enabling legislation in 1920, and the first piece of metered mail—a letter from Bowes to his wife—was posted on December 10, 1920. By 1922, 400 meters were in service, accounting for more than $4 million in postage.
While the company was growing, neither Pitney nor Bowes enjoyed this success. The two men were constantly at odds and in 1924, Arthur Pitney resigned from the company after a dispute with Bowes. After the co-founder’s departure, uncertainty reigned at Pitney Bowes and Bowes’ stepson, Walter Wheeler II, was promoted to general manager to instill leadership and find new direction.
A 1939 article in Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
notes that “Walter Bowes is nervous, restless; he hates a desk and office hours, prefers to putter about his home.” An accomplished sportsman, he devoted much if his time to racing yachts and horses. In 1929, Bowes sailed his six-meter Saleema to an international championship.
Walter Bowes shifted from president to Chairman of Pitney Bowes in 1938. Two years later, he retired with a 10-year consulting contract. Bowes continued to enjoy the good life until his death in 1957 at the age of 75.