William Galloway – American Industrialist
William Galloway, a name perhaps less familiar than those of other titans of industry, yet inextricably linked to the histories of the Duesenberg brothers, Maytag appliances, and the evolution of farm machinery, represents a fascinating chapter in American entrepreneurialism. His story is one of ambition, innovation, and ultimately, the precarious nature of success in a rapidly changing industrial landscape.
Born in 1877 on a farm near Berlin, Iowa, William Galloway’s early life offered little indication of the entrepreneurial spirit that would later define him. His time in public school and subsequent attendance at Monmouth College in Illinois were unremarkable, failing to foreshadow the impact he would have on the agricultural and automotive industries. However, this seemingly ordinary beginning laid the groundwork for a keen understanding of rural life and the needs of the farming community.
Following his college years, William Galloway embarked on a journey that would shape his future. He traversed the rural roads of Iowa, working as a traveling salesman and peddling specialty goods to farm families. This experience provided him with invaluable insight into the daily lives, challenges, and desires of his customers. His next role, as a traveling salesman for a farm implement dealer in Reinbeck, Iowa, further solidified his knowledge of the agricultural sector and ignited the spark of his ambition.
In 1901, leveraging the knowledge and experience he had painstakingly acquired, William Galloway took the bold step of establishing his own farm implement dealership in Waterloo, Iowa. This marked the beginning of his ascent as an industrialist. However, Galloway was not content with simply being a retailer. He possessed a grander vision, one that involved manufacturing his own line of agricultural products and revolutionizing the way farmers accessed essential equipment.
The year 1905 witnessed the birth of the William Galloway Company in Waterloo, Iowa. This enterprise was founded on the principle of manufacturing a diverse range of agricultural products, with a particular focus on manure spreaders and harrow carts. From the outset, Galloway embraced a pioneering business model: direct-to-consumer sales through mail order. This innovative approach allowed him to bypass traditional retail channels, reach a wider customer base, and offer competitive prices. The company’s success led to the inclusion of products manufactured by other companies, and in less than a decade, William Galloway’s company rose to become the largest mail-order farm equipment supplier in the nation, demonstrating the power of his vision and the effectiveness of his business strategy.
By 1908, William Galloway expanded his product line beyond agricultural implements, venturing into the realm of personal transportation. He introduced a vehicle designed to serve a dual purpose: a reliable mode of transportation for families to attend church on Sundays and a capable hauler for farm work during the week. This early "high wheeler," powered by a modest two-cylinder, 14-horsepower engine, possessed a load-carrying capacity that may have been questionable by modern standards, but it reflected Galloway’s understanding of the practical needs of his rural customers.
A pivotal moment in Galloway’s career occurred in 1910 with his acquisition of a significant stake in the Maytag-Mason Motor Car Company. This move was contingent upon the company relocating its operations from Des Moines to Waterloo, Iowa. Fred L. Maytag, initially known for his agricultural machinery and washing machines, had expanded into automobile manufacturing through the acquisition of the Mason Motor Car Company in 1909.
The Mason Motor Car Company, established in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1906 and named after its primary financier, Edward R. Mason, was built around a two-cylinder engine designed by Fred and August Duesenberg. These engines, designed by the talented Duesenberg brothers, were the cornerstone of Mason’s automobiles. The Mason cars, promoted as "The Fastest & Strongest Two-Cylinder Car in America," garnered recognition for their hill-climbing prowess in various events and later as racecars. Despite this acclaim, sales struggled, leading to a reorganization in 1908.
Maytag’s acquisition of controlling interest and a subsequent merger failed to revitalize sales. The manufacturing of an automobile under the Galloway name in 1911 also proved unsuccessful. This vehicle, known as the Galloway 25, was essentially a Maytag with a Galloway emblem. No known examples of the Galloway 25 exist today, underscoring the short-lived nature of this particular venture.
Despite the setbacks in the automotive sector, the William Galloway Company continued to thrive in its core business of agricultural equipment manufacturing. However, William Galloway’s ambition to become a successful motor vehicle manufacturer remained undeterred. In 1910, he partnered with C.W. Hellen to purchase Dart, a truck manufacturer based in Anderson, Indiana, and relocated the company to Waterloo. In 1914, the company was reorganized as the Dart Truck & Tractor Company, focusing on the production of chain-driven tractors and, after 1916, worm and internal gear-driven models.
The following year, Galloway made another attempt to launch a passenger vehicle under his own name. This time, the car debuted as the Arabian, a vehicle that was, in reality, an Argo manufactured in Jackson, Michigan, by Benjamin Briscoe. When Briscoe divested himself of the company in late 1916, Mansell Hackett acquired it. Manufacturing continued under license at the Galloway facilities in Waterloo, Iowa. While the Chilton Trade Directory listed the car as being in production in 1919, production had ceased at the end of 1917.
Throughout these diverse ventures, the William Galloway Company continued to expand its agricultural line and mail-order business. The 1913 catalog, a testament to the company’s breadth, featured 146 pages of pumps, cream separators, plows, harrows, Galloway wagons, anvils, forges, iceboxes, mattresses, roofing, work clothes, windmills, and countless other items that a farmer might need. The catalog even included items like tennis rackets, roller skates, and bicycles, demonstrating the company’s reach beyond strictly agricultural products.
In late 1915, Galloway turned his attention to the manufacture of tractors, a project that he envisioned as a fusion of his passion for building motor vehicles and his expertise in farm implements. The Galloway Farmobile 12-20 debuted in 1916, and the company’s 1917 catalog highlighted the tractor’s features, including a 4-1/2-by-5-inch engine and a 2-speed transmission. Priced at $995, the Galloway manufactured tractor was promoted with the slogan "Pulls Anything, Anywhere, Anytime."
An article in the October 17, 1918, edition of Automotive Industries noted that the new worm drive tractors were the result of three years of experimentation. The article also mentioned that the company had received an order for 1,080 tractors of this type from the British firm of Henry Garner, Ltd.
At its peak, the William Galloway Company’s fourteen-acre complex of shops and offices was valued at $1,462,000. Profits soared, and Galloway built a red brick home that reflected his success. Plans for expansion in the coming decade mirrored the company’s soaring sales and diversification. However, this growth required significant financing. In 1919, Volume 99 of the Bankers Magazine noted that "One of the largest bond issues ever handled by Iowa banks has been underwritten and sold by the Waterloo Clearing House Association without the assistance of either Wall Street or LaSalle Street interests. This was the $1,750,000 issue of the William Galloway Company of Waterloo, Iowa, bearing date of July 1, 1919, and due July 1, 1925."
The article continued, stating that the bonds were "a direct obligation of the William Galloway Company and are a lien against its plant, properties, and business."
However, the William Galloway Company’s fortunes were about to take a dramatic turn. The overextension, combined with the severe post-war recession and a sharp decline in agricultural commodity values, pushed the company to the brink of bankruptcy in 1920.
Although his sons resurrected the company in late 1926, it operated on a much smaller scale as a mail-order company for farm supplies, lasting into the early 1940s. William Galloway passed away in 1952.
Today, Galloway, his catalog business that once rivaled Sears & Roebuck, his automotive manufacturing endeavors, and the namesake tractors are relegated to a historic footnote. Only a handful of trucks, an assortment of Galloway-stamped products, and thirteen tractors (twelve in the United States and one in France) remain as relics of Galloway’s once-formidable empire. His story serves as a reminder of the ambition, innovation, and the inherent risks involved in pursuing the American dream.