found jobs and helped to support the family.
Not only did the foundries close, but Winfield and his wife Ethel lost their home, car, and all valuable assets. There was not enough casting demand to keep the remaining foundry operating. The Leach family attempted a consolidation, combining both foundries into one hoping to have one survive, but it was useless. By 1933, many of the equipment manufacturers that relied on Leach Brothers to cast their products were weakened or bankrupt. With few housing starts, the need for construction castings that were the lifeblood of both foundries evaporated. The worldwide economy staggered after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Products included sash weights, washers, bridge castings, and general industrial machinery castings. Winfield and George expanded the business, opening a foundry in Seattle, Washington. The demand for cast iron construction products exceeded the capacity of the Portland foundry. As a natural port on the Columbia River, Portland was the hub of commerce for the inland industries: logging, mining and agriculture. In the early 1900s, Portland, Oregon was a thriving city of over 100,000 people, already known as the Boston of the West for its cultural sophistication. sold the foundry to his sons, Winfield and George Leach, which they renamed Leach Brothers Iron Works. Nearing retirement age in 1905, Francis P. So after crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the American continent, the immigrant family from Dublin had found the American dream in the Northwest-a prosperous business and a good place to raise their families. The original business journal states, “Opened for business today, March 17, 1880.” The obvious pride of accomplishment is evident on of the old book, “The list of assets includes shovels, miscellaneous foundry tools and a steam engine with a $650 mortgage.” responded by starting his own foundry, Excelsior Iron Works, in Portland, Oregon. The Northwest was growing rapidly and there was a need for construction castings. found work in the Smith & Watson Iron Works and learned the skills needed to open his own foundry. Then he and his family traveled by train and boat to Portland, Oregon, arriving in 1877.įrancis P. Leach), and made his way to Galesburg, Illinois, where he stayed for two years. As a young man he left Connecticut, perhaps to escape the discrimination (and for the same reason, he switched his first two names, becoming Francis P. The first Leach foundry was started by Patrick Francis Leach, who was in born Ireland and brought to America as an infant. The West Coast and Starting the Excelsior Foundry We believe the Leach men found higher paying jobs as foundry workers. Gradually, they filtered into factories, although for a long time many employers hung out signs reading “No Irish Need Apply.” One of the largest employers in that city was the Colt Armory & Foundry. At the bottom of the pyramid, more than 6,000 Irish immigrants struggled. The well-to-do pursued culture, philanthropy and sports. The city enjoyed the highest per capita wealth in America. Seeking more favorable conditions for the family, they moved to Hartford, Connecticut, in 1846, where the people of Hartford had plunged into a frenzied period of money making and business expansion. Irish immigrants were plentiful and good jobs were scarce but the Leach men found work as stone cutters. During the famine, the Leach family-four adults and many children-left Ireland for the new world, settling in New York City for a short time. The story of the Leach family business begins in Ireland in 1845. The Leach family’s drive and determination to succeed in business is connected in part to our family history-dealing with the extreme conditions of the Irish Potato Famine in Ireland, and the discrimination against Irish immigrants during their early years in America.
Every successful family-owned business learns to confront problems and arrive at solutions in order to survive over a long period.
0 kommentar(er)
