Historical Timeline
Historical Timelines
Trace the 170-year evolution of the Taylor precision legacy in Rochester, New York—from its foundational business name changes to the executive administrations that shaped the global instrument industry.
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Corporate Lineage
Evolution of legal business names & corporate entities (1851 – Present)
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Kendall & Taylor
1851 – 1853
Founded in Rochester over Post’s Drug Store on Exchange Street by David Kendall and George Taylor. Began with handcrafted tin-case thermometers and barometers with an initial capitalization under $1,000.
George Taylor (Sole Ownership)
1853 – 1861
David Kendall sold his interest in 1853. George Taylor operated the business independently, relocating manufacturing to larger quarters at 11 Hill Street to accommodate an expanding workforce before stepping back temporarily in 1859.
Taylor & Richardson
1866 – 1872
Organized at 145 Buffalo Street by Frank Taylor (arrived in Rochester in 1862) and Hamlet F. Richardson. Richardson withdrew due to ill health, selling his interest to George Taylor in 1870.
Taylor Brothers
1872 – 1890
George and Frank Taylor united their shops under the landmark partnership of Taylor Brothers. Built a nationwide reputation for clinical, domestic, and dairy thermometers. George Taylor served as president until his death in 1889.
Taylor Brothers Company (Incorporated)
1890 – 1907
Incorporated in 1890 under President Frank Taylor with $75,000 capital stock. Initiated external expansion by acquiring the Watertown Thermometer Co. (1891), Hohmann & Maurer (1895), and Short & Mason of London (1900). Capital grew to $535,000.
Taylor Instrument Companies
1907 – 1968
Corporate consolidation uniting all acquired divisions under one parent umbrella brand. Consolidated into the massive main plant at 95 Ames Street (opened 1906). Dominated 20th-century aviation instruments, WWI aircraft gauges, and supplied the K-25 Oak Ridge plant during WWII under the famous Tycos and Taylor marks.
Taylor Instrument Company (Singular Entity)
1968 – 1989
Rebranded as a singular corporate entity following corporate restructuring, expanding into advanced electronic industrial control systems. Merged with Combustion Engineering in 1983 as its flagship process automation unit.
Taylor Instruments Division (Combustion Engineering)
1989 – 1990
Operated as a specialized industrial instrument and process controls division within Combustion Engineering during multinational corporate transitions.
ABB Kent-Taylor Inc.
1990 – 1996
Formed after Swiss-Swedish engineering conglomerate ABB (Asea Brown Boveri) acquired Combustion Engineering in 1989, merging Taylor operations with British instrument manufacturer George Kent.
ABB Instrumentation Inc.
1996 – Present
The continuing modern lineage under ABB's global Measurement & Analytics division, maintaining the industrial sensing, measurement, and calibration heritage founded in Rochester in 1851.
Company Presidents
The executive administrations that built and directed the company
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George Taylor
1851 – 1889 (38 Years)
Cofounded Kendall & Taylor in 1851 above Post's Drug Store. Guided the company through sole ownership, the Hill Street move, the formation of Taylor & Richardson, and the establishment of Taylor Brothers in 1872, serving as president until his death.
Frank Taylor
1889 – 1900 (11 Years)
Incorporated the business in 1890 with $75,000 capital stock. Orchestrated the acquisitions of the Watertown Thermometer Co. (1891), Hohmann & Maurer (1895), established the London branch (1898), and acquired Short & Mason (1900). Served on the Board of Directors until 1920.
G. Elbert Taylor
1900 – 1910 (10 Years)
Son of George Taylor. Oversaw capital expansion to $535,000, formal incorporation as the Taylor Instrument Companies, acquisition of Davis & Roesch (1905), and the construction and opening of the main plant on Ames Street (1906).
J. Merton Taylor
1910 – 1913 (3 Years)
Son of George Taylor. Consolidated the Watertown plant operations into Ames Street in 1911. Pioneered industrial employee welfare by building Taylor's own emergency hospital, created the formal Research Department, and opened the Export Sales Department. Passed away in office in July 1913.
Herbert J. Winn
1913 – 1938 (25 Years)
Joined the company as a salesman in 1893 and organized the London office in 1898. Guided the company through massive World War I production, expanded stock to $5M in 1929, incorporated Taylor Instrument Companies of Canada in 1930, and founded the Tycos Library (1922). Later served as Chairman of the Board.
Lewis B. Swift
1938 – 1951+
Succeeded Herbert J. Winn in 1938. Directed Taylor's critical wartime operations as prime contractor for instrumentation at the Oak Ridge Manhattan Project facility, earning three Army-Navy “E” Awards. Presided over the company's 100-year centennial celebration in 1951.
The legal records, presidential transitions, corporate charters, and meeting minutes compiled in both timelines are preserved in the Taylor Instrument Company Papers (Collection D.75) at the University of Rochester Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation.
