- Business - Janesville Sesquicentennial
-
- Insurance firm started in Janesville
- Most city residents today know that worldwide PARKER
Pen Co. began here and still has
- corporate headquarters and its U.S. manufacturing center
in Janesville. Less well known is that another major American
company - Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. - began here.
- It began in Janesville in 1858, according to the William
Fiske BROWN history of Rock County
- published in 1908.
- "The incorporators were mainly from Janesville, though
some were from Beloit and also some from
- outside the county," the history reads. "Among
the Janesville incorporators were Thomas LAPPIN, M. C.
SMITH, David NOGGLE, Edward McKEY, Solomon
HUTSON, James H. KNOWLTON, John P. DICKSON [DICKINSON],
Joseph A. SLEEPER, Edward L. DIMOCK, B. F. PIXLEY,
J. F. WILLARD, John MITCHELL, Luke STOUGHTON,
James BINTIFF [BINTLIFF], Peter MYERS and
Lucian S. FISHER. Matthew H. CARPENTER, late United
States senator from Wisconsin, but then practicing law at Beloit,
was also an incorporator."
- Janesville was designated as the corporation's location,
but the incorporation papers were
- amended a few years later to substitute Milwaukee for Janesville
and to add Northwestern to the original corporate name.
- The offices were soon moved to Milwaukee.
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