Dietzgen History

Eugene Dietzgen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eugene Dietzgen (1862-1929) was the first son of socialist philosopher Joseph Dietzgen, born in Germany.

EARLY LIFE

At age two he was taken with his father to Tsarist Russia to educate himself in Russian as well as learn his father's business of tannery. They both returned in 1868.

In 1881, Eugene's father Joseph sent him to America in order to escape the draft of the Kaiser as well as to hide some of his father's socialist literature. Eugene had to safeguard his father's literature because it had already landed Joseph in jail a few years before. Eugene was only 19 years old when he arrived in New York City. He started to work for a German drafting company, but eventually moved to Chicago and started the Eugene Dietzgen Drafting Company, which is still in operation today under different management.

At the time Eugene was heavily influenced by his father, one of Karl Marx's favorite philosophers on socialist theory. As a result, Eugene was very working-class conscious and provided his factory workers with many amenities not found in the mid 19th century. Some of these amenities include separate bathrooms for men and women, open windowsills with flowers decorating the air, and a general atmosphere of a healthy working community.[1] The original building still stands at 218 23rd Street, Chicago.[2]

HISTORY OF THE DIETZEN COMPANY (FROM NASHUA Company web-site):

–1885 – 
German immigrant Eugene Dietzgen founds his own engineering supply house as both a dealership and manufacturers’ representative in Chicago, Illinois.

–1893 – 
First manufacturing facility opened producing T-squares, drawing boards, 
surveying instruments and other engineering supplies that are now highly valued by collectors for their craftsmanship and quality.

–1906 – 
Second manufacturing facility opened at Fullerton and Sheffield Sts. In Chicago. 
This plant was continually expanded until sold in 1976. It is now a historical landmark.

–1920 – 
Dietzgen becomes the exclusive U.S. marketer of German dry “diazo” 
positive-reproduction white printer papers.

–1959 – 
Dietzgen becomes first company to market commercially viable polyester drafting films.

–1974-1976 – 
Regional coating plants are combined with distribution centers to better service primary marketing regions at competitive cost.

–1986 – 
Large document copier media – Dietzgen’s first digital printing products – is introduced.

–1995–
In its 110th anniversary year, Dietzgen announced the acquisition of the 
Klingler company. The newly consolidated corporation enhances both firms' contributions to the marketplace by providing new technologies, new products and new services 
to the reprographics industry.

–2002 – 
Nashua Corporation purchases Dietzgen assets and integrates them with its own growing digital imaging business. Retaining the Dietzgen name, this new division brings a new customer focus and paper converting expertise to the business.

–2004 – 
Nashua acquires the Magellan line of media to position Dietzgen as a full-service 
provider to the growing large-format graphics market.

–2005-2006 – 
Dietzgen opens new facilities in Jefferson City, TN and Cranberry, NJ, while upgrading 
its current plant in Los Angeles, CA, to provide better service to a customer base that has grown to more than 1,500 dealers and service bureaus.

MORE RECENTLY….

I think this is accurate … Cenveo acquired Nashua and, with that, acquired Dietzgen. And, as we now know, Precision Paper acquired from Cenveo what’s left of Dietzgen.