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Stewart-Warner - Wikipedia. Stewart-Warner was an American manufacturer of vehicle instruments (e.g., gauges and lubricating equipment) and many other products. History. Vacant Stewart-Warner headquarters building in Chicago 1990. View of the back of the Stewart-Warner plant, looking south.
In the decades that followed, Stewart-Warner would solidify itself as an internationally known leader in accessories and instruments for all sorts of transport vehicles, including bicycle speedometers for the kiddos—as evidenced by the classic 1950s “Cadet” in our museum collection.
Stewart-Warner's origins go back to 1893 when John K. Stewart formed the Chicago Flexible Shaft Company with his friend Thomas Clark. In 1896 the pair established Sterk Manufacturing Company to produce speedometers and automobile horns.
For more than 100 years, Stewart-Warner gauges have set the standard for automotive instrumentation, providing drivers with critical readings on speed, RPMs, and engine vitals in the dashboards of legendary hot rods, racecars, sportscars, and American muscle cars.
Stewart-Warner Corp. In 1905, John K. Stewart and Thomas J. Clark—the same men who in 1897 had created the Chicago Flexible Shaft Co. (which became Sunbeam)—founded Stewart & Clark, which manufactured speedometers for automobiles. Between 1906 and 1908, annual sales rose from about $35,000 to $350,000.
Stewart-Warner established as LARGEST manufacturer of automotive accessories. New products included power brakes, hydraulic shock absorbers, fuel pumps & carburetors. Name changed officially to Stewart-Warner Corp.; stock markets crash limits Q4 sales.
In 1912, the Alemite Co. (led by Edgar Bassick) and the Warner Instrument Co. merged with Stewart, forming the Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corp. (later known as the Stewart-Warner Instrument Co.). The firm had a huge factory on Diversey Parkway in Chicago.
