Gorton's history

This will idle 180 plant workers and 100 office personnel. It is the first time since the company was founded in 1893 that no family member is employed by the company.

A company description (in volume 1 of the same book) indicates that at that time, the company employed about 50 men; was made into a corporation in 1895; officers of the company are George, president and treasurer; and S. Gorton (Sophy), vice-president.

1897 - As a favor to Fred Graham, George designs a brick enclosure for the 330,000 gallon town water 'standpipe'. Fred submits the design, and wins the building contract.

1898 - company enters into a (its first?) patent licensing agreement.

1899- A second pantograph is sold to C.P. Goerz, an optical company, in New York City.

April, 1900 - Paris Industrial Exposition held; Gorton Machine earns a bronze for excellence in design of disc grinding equipment.

Ernest Falkenrath, 1428 Franklin St joined the company in 1901, and is the oldest employee in "point of service" (years of service)

In 1906 Slade Gorton and John Pew merged their businesses with Reed & Gamage and David B. Smith & Company, owner of the largest fleet of vessels of any port on the Atlantic seaboard at that time.

Frank Davis, 1540 South Main St, 26 years of service (joined in 1909).

Victor Heck, 1632 Grange Ave, assembler, engraving machines, joined the company in 1911.

Otto Schiess, 1102 Prospect St, machinist, 8 years of service (joined in 1913)

Fred Kobal, 2434 E. Twentieth St lathe operator, joined the company in 1915

1916 - A Racine area book is published with about two pages of biographical information about prominent locals.

John Burant, 1625 Morton Ave, machinist, joined the company in 1918.

3, Box 162, machinist, joined the company in 1927.

1934 - start of the effort to engrage the Lord's prayer on the point of a pin

Sometime prior to 1940: the company expands its facilities

1941 - Racine Journal Times article Gorton machine tools have been pladced on "America's priority list, to be sold only to those most urgently in need." Gorton Duplicators are used all over the nation in duplicating dies, models, and various intricate parts used in aircraft, ships, guns, and tanks.

1952 - The company leases a former (WW II) Hemp mill in Union Grove; the building will house "Department 50", employing 50-60 people, and produce milling machines.

A $1 million modern seafood processing plant was opened in 1956 in Gloucester.

Kinney became company president in 1958 and ushered the company through a period of major acquisitions and corporate growth.

1962 - Racine Journal Times article: The company sets up a department to rebuild old or damaged Gorton machines.

Gorton's purchased Blue Water Sea Foods of Montreal, Canada, in 1963, then added Fulham Brothers, a west coast marketer of seafoods. Items like frozen deviled crab and stuffed flounder were the specialty of Bayou Foods of Mobile, Alabama, which joined Gorton's in 1966.

April, 1967 - the company sold to Kearney & Trecker A newspaper article (probably the Racine Journal Times) indicates the company was an all-stock transaction of 115,000 shares of Kearney & Trecker stock, valued at $7.1 Million.

Corporate 75th anniversary A 75th anniversary booklet and open_house guide from 1968.

The newspaper article this is derived from indicates that machine tool industry sales have lagged since mid-1969.

By 1971 the company was offering such new products for retail as single-serving shrimp and chips; ocean snacks; seven fish-shaped fillets, for children; and new heat-and-serve entrees.

Bayou Foods was sold in 1987, a divestment that marked an end to Gorton's active acquisition and divestment philosophy.

Gorton's retained its lead in 1990 in the frozen seafood category by introducing new products such as the only marinated breaded flavored shrimps on the market.

In 1994 it offered the first non-breaded pre-grilled fish.