Hammond Organ Company
ActiveEvanston, Illinois, USA
BornEvanston, Illinois, USA
DiedCornwal, Connecticut, USA
BiographyLaurens Hammond (b. 11 January 1895 in Evanston, Illinois, USA; d. 3 July 1973 in Cornwall, Connecticut) was born in the United States but spent a portion of his childhood in Europe, relocating there with his mother following his father’s death in 1898. Between 1889 and 1909, Hammond lived in Geneva, Switzerland, Dresden, Germany, and, finally, Paris, France. Though barely a teenager by the time he returned to Illinois, his time abroad proved to be fruitful, as he had already designed an automatic transmission system for vehicles. Hammond continued to develop his interest in mechanical engineering through studies at Cornell University, where he graduated with honors in 1916. He then served in the First World War with the 16th Regiment Engineers (Railway) American Expeditionary Force, returning to France. Upon the dissolution of the war, Hammond settled briefly in Detroit, Michigan, where he worked as chief engineer at the Gray Motor Company, devising a silent spring-driven clock. In 1919, he relocated to New York, New York. His first major contribution as a designer came in 1922, when he invented what was referred to as the Teleview system. Employing a pair of red and green shutter glasses, the Teleview system was essentially the first 3-D film technology. The film Radio-Mania was released using this technology in 1922, but the expenses associated in maintaining such a system thwarted any further development of the project. In 1926, he also developed a device that would allow radio receivers to run from a household main instead of a battery. In what was perhaps his most important innovation, Hammond also developed a synchronous motor that revolved in phase with the 60 Hz standard alternating current of North America, which was used both in his so-called silent clocks and organs.
Hammond’s company, the Hammond Clock Company, was founded in 1928, and was relatively stable until the early 1930s. In order to save his business from financial collapse, Hammond turned his attention to other inventions he had previously conceived of, including his first electric organ. Work on the organ began in 1933 when Hammond stripped a used piano of every component except the keyboard mechanism. He then began experimenting with a number of different sound generation methods, attempting to control each one from the keyboard. He settled upon a design that would comprise the first tone wheel generator, with a patent filed on 19 January 1934. Thus, the first Hammond organ, dubbed the model A, was created in 1935. In recognition of this design, Hammond was awarded the Franklin Institute’s John Price Wetherill Medal in 1940. Design on the Novachord, Hammond’s first fully electronic organ, began in 1938, with the first production models released in 1939. The project was suspended in 1942 when the United States entered the Second World War, and Hammond turned his attention toward aiding in the war effort, designing guided missile controls. He received patents for infrared and light-sensing bomb guidance, glide bomb control, which was the precursor to the guided missiles that are currently being carried by nuclear submarines, and a new type of gyroscope. In 1955, Hammond resigned his position as the president of the company, allowing Stanley M. Sorensen to take over his position, and in 1960, he retired. At the time of his death in 1973, Hammond held 110 patents. The company folded in 1986 and was acquired in 1989 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. In 2002, Suzuki-Hammond released a nearly identical reissue of the Hammond B-3, employing digital circuitry instead of vacuum tubes.
Hammond’s company, the Hammond Clock Company, was founded in 1928, and was relatively stable until the early 1930s. In order to save his business from financial collapse, Hammond turned his attention to other inventions he had previously conceived of, including his first electric organ. Work on the organ began in 1933 when Hammond stripped a used piano of every component except the keyboard mechanism. He then began experimenting with a number of different sound generation methods, attempting to control each one from the keyboard. He settled upon a design that would comprise the first tone wheel generator, with a patent filed on 19 January 1934. Thus, the first Hammond organ, dubbed the model A, was created in 1935. In recognition of this design, Hammond was awarded the Franklin Institute’s John Price Wetherill Medal in 1940. Design on the Novachord, Hammond’s first fully electronic organ, began in 1938, with the first production models released in 1939. The project was suspended in 1942 when the United States entered the Second World War, and Hammond turned his attention toward aiding in the war effort, designing guided missile controls. He received patents for infrared and light-sensing bomb guidance, glide bomb control, which was the precursor to the guided missiles that are currently being carried by nuclear submarines, and a new type of gyroscope. In 1955, Hammond resigned his position as the president of the company, allowing Stanley M. Sorensen to take over his position, and in 1960, he retired. At the time of his death in 1973, Hammond held 110 patents. The company folded in 1986 and was acquired in 1989 by the Suzuki Musical Instrument Corporation. In 2002, Suzuki-Hammond released a nearly identical reissue of the Hammond B-3, employing digital circuitry instead of vacuum tubes.
(division of Norlin Music Instruments, Ltd.)
