A History of Honeywell
1885 Albert M. Butz filed an application with the U.S. Patent Office for his Temperature Control “Damper Flapper” and formed The Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Co.
1888 Consolidated Temperature Controlling Co., Inc. of Minneapolis, MN acquired the patent and the company.
1888 James Skinner started Skinner Chuck Co. in New Brighton, CT – the forerunner of Skinner Valve Co.
1891 W. R. Sweatt formed the Sweatt Mfg. Co. in Minneapolis, MN to build wheelbarrows.
1892 Consolidated Temperature Controlling Co., Inc. was renamed as the Electric Thermostat Co.
1893 Electric Thermostat Co. was reorganized as the Electric Heat Regulator Co.
1898 W. R. Sweatt committed to a contract to purchase the Electric Heat Regulator Co. for 12.5 cents on the dollar ($5,000) from future earnings.
1901 W. R. Sweatt sold the wheelbarrow business.
1902 W. R. Sweatt completed the buyout of the Electric Heat Regulator Co. and now owned all 400 shares of the company located in Minneapolis, MN .
1906 Mark C. Honeywell started the Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. in Wabash, IN to manufacture hot water Heating Systems for homes. This was the first use of the name Honeywell as a company.
1910 Richard Brown incorporated Brown Instrument Co. in Philadelphia, PA.
1910 Elmer Sperry formed the Sperry Gyroscope Co. in Brooklyn, NY.
1912 Elmer and his son, Lawrence Sperry, developed an automatic pilot – “airplane stabilizer”.
1913 Electric Heat Regulator Co. changed its name to Minneapolis Heat Regulator Co.
1927 Minneapolis Heat Regulator Co. merged with Honeywell Heating Specialists and becomes Minneapolis-Honeywell Heat Regulator Co.
1929 James H. Doolittle flies first blind flight, from takeoff to landing, using a Sperry Gyro Horizon and Directional Gyro.
1932 Depression forced wage reductions and Minneapolis-Honeywell Heat Regulator Co made flour sifters for the Pillsbury Co. to keep employees working.
1933 Another wage reduction: 15% for officers and 10% for employees of Minneapolis-Honeywell Heat Regulator Co.
1934 Micro Switch Co. formed in Freeport, IL to manufacture the “simplest form of control system”, the switch.
1934 Honeywell acquired Brown Instrument Co. of Philadelphia, PA.
1934 Heiland Research Corp. formed in Denver, CO – later becomes part of Honeywell.
1941 Minneapolis Honeywell developed the C1 Autopilot that proved to be critically important for the U.S. war effort.
1946 Minneapolis Honeywell Aero Division was formed.
1950 Honeywell purchased Micro Switch of Freeport, IL.
1953 Production of the Honeywell T86 Round Thermostat was started, which is what most people think of when you say “Honeywell”.
1954 Honeywell purchased Heiland Research Corp. which becomes Test Instruments and Photo Division in Denver , CO .
1954 Honeywell Research developed a germanium power transistor and the Transistor Division is formed in Minneapolis, MN. An early start in solid state electronics which failed to blossom.
1955 A joint venture with Raytheon was formed called Datamatic Corp. and was Honeywell's entry into the computer business. The company's first computer system, the D-1000, weighed 25 tons, took up 6,000 square feet and cost $1.5 million.
1956 Sperry's Aeronautical Division moved to Phoenix, AZ and became Sperry Phoenix Co.
1957 Sperry Phoenix moved into the 19th Ave. and Deer Valley facility in Phoenix, AZ.
1960 Raytheon's share of the business was bought out and the EDP Division of Honeywell was formed.
1964 The company name was shortened from Minneapolis-Honeywell Heat Regulator Co. to Honeywell, Inc.
1965 Development and production of the Apollo Control System began at Honeywell Aero Division.
1966 Sperry Phoenix became Sperry Flight Systems.
1967 Honeywell sales exceeded $1 billion.
1969 Honeywell became the first supplier of digital avionics to commercial airliners with the Flight Computer for the McDonnell Douglas DC-10.
1970 Honeywell bought General Electric's computer business to form Honeywell Information Systems Division (HIS).
1974 Honeywell purchased the Process Control Computer business from GE which later became the current Process Solutions Division of Honeywell located in Phoenix, AZ.
1980 Sperry Flight Systems reorganized forming the Commercial Division, Defense Division and Space Systems Division.
1981 Sperry's Business and Commuter Systems Division was formed and located at 53rd Ave. and Bell Road in Glendale, AZ.
1986 Honeywell acquired Sperry Aerospace Group for $1,029 billion and combined part of the Honeywell Commercial Division with the Sperry Commercial Flight Systems operations in Phoenix, AZ.
1991 Honeywell Information Systems sold to Bull. Honeywell was no longer in the information processing computer business.
1999 Honeywell merged into Allied Signal and the name was changed to Honeywell International.
2000/2001 GE's attempted purchase of Honeywell International was blocked by the European Competition Commission.