Lewis Specialty Company

James Roy Lewis was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1888, the son of Nathan J. Lewis and Mary Emma Parker. Nathan died in 1893, and Mary Emma in 1909, meaning that by the age of 21 he was parentless. 

James enlisted in the military in 1907, serving two terms. By 1917 he was working in his Aunt's general store in Atlanta, and with WWI looming, decided to enlist in the military once again, working as a machinist, and it is believed he learned the talents of his craftsmanship during these years of service.

James was stationed in Lakehurst, NJ. By 1918 he had met and married Emma Havens, who was working on the base, and was now the father of a daughter.

James Roy Lewis in Laurelton, NJ in 1921

By 1919 James had been in contact with organizations in Chicago that were interested in his ideas of developing a universal brake lining device that could service all types of vehicles. In that year he wrote to the United Stated Patent Office with a request to claim ownership for a device he had invented.

Here is an early copy of his business card from Chicago.

That time in America automobiles were a new means for people to travel and brakes hadn’t been fully established, needing constant repair. Hand brakes were out. Motor vehicle laws at the time were demanding motorists to maintain the brakes on their cars, some cities actually serving police notices upon operators to have their brakes relined.

Brake linings were always running thin. In the words of J.R. Lewis, “The Lewis Brake Lining Machine is designed to save time and money on brake lining jobs; to aid in establishing flat prices on such jobs, if desired, and to enable the garage man or service station to do a first class job which will meet with the approval of experienced engineers and brake lining experts.” The Lewis machine was made to be operated by an unskilled workman, and considering the cost in savings, will pay for itself in a comparatively short time.

“In the Lewis machine we have assembled all the tools necessary to remove the old lining, punch out the old rivets, drill the holes, countersink them, and put in the new rivets.”

It should also be noted that at that time in automobile brakes, more than ninety-percent of the automobile manufacturers are using a brass tubular rivet. Brass rivets wore through. “The dies on the Lewis Brake Lining Machine are scientifically designed so as to curve the points of the rivets into the lining, well under the surface. Rivets so applied will not break off nor score the brake drum.”

Here is an early hand drawn image for a Ford ad.

Here are two copies of the actual submitted image to the US Patent office in 1922.

 

James had found a need that needed to be filled, and through diligence, he was able sell 3200 of the brake lining devices for $120 each, and at that time, was a lot of money. Doing the math, that amounted to about $430,000. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as planned, and he lost it all in a handshake deal that went sour. He lost it all. 

By 1930 James, and family, were living in Philadelphia. By 1940 he was living in Laurelton, New Jersey, with his mother-in-law Emma Havens Young, married, with a family of three.

But he wasn't done with creating inventions. Using his talents he thought of the idea of making a rolling pin that you could put ice inside of to prevent sticking. He also began mass producing canape cutters that were the perfect tool for the busy housewife in the kitchen. 

Unknown to this writer, he chose Montclair, New Jersey for the headquarters of this company. Montclair is 60 miles from Laurelton. 

Records indicate that the Lewis Specialty Company sold 100,000 of these devices, but by 1947 James was advancing in age and tired of the busy work schedule. In 1948 he sold his company to Walter Mulvihill, Nicholas Luise, Rocco De Santis and Andrew C. Buckalo.

Here's a write up of James Lewis and the Lewis Specialty Company.

Today, these rolling pins and canape cutters can be found in antique stores, online resales, and in my kitchen. All totaled, I believe I have bought 30 of them. I'm trying to keep his dream alive, purchase by purchase.