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Henry Timken to be Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame

15 September 1998

Henry Timken, Founder of The Timken Company, to be Inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame

    CANTON, Ohio, Sept. 14 -- Henry Timken, creator of the
Timken(R) tapered roller bearing and founder of The Timken Company
, will be inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame on
Saturday, Sept. 19, during a ceremony at E. J. Thomas Hall in Akron, Ohio.
    Henry Timken's great-grandson, W. R. Timken, Jr., chairman, president and
chief executive officer of The Timken Company, will accept the honor on behalf
of Henry, who died in 1909.  Henry will be among six inductees in the 26th
class and one of only 141 inventors enshrined.
    "It is a privilege to continue the legacy begun by my great-grandfather.
It is gratifying to know that his invention, originally designed to reduce
friction in wheels on carriages manufactured at his St. Louis factory,
continues a century later as one of society's essential products.  Timken
bearings are used in everything from automobiles to space shuttle landing gear
-- products with which we are proud to associate our name," said Mr. Timken.
"Henry would be amazed at the many ways his tapered roller bearing has made a
positive impact on our world and its peoples."
    According to Tim Edwards, Inventure Place marketing director, the Sept. 19
induction ceremony at E. J. Thomas Hall is sold out. Two hundred of the
expected 2,500 people in attendance will be Timken associates and their
families.
    From 1895 to 1898, Henry's work on a bearing design resulted in two
patents, which were granted in June 1898.  In December 1899, he launched the
Timken Roller Bearing Axle Company to manufacture axles equipped with his
bearings.  In 1900, a St. Louis carriage car was the first automobile equipped
with Timken bearings.  Envisioning the potential of the fledgling automotive
industry, Henry and his sons, H. H. and W. R., moved the company to Canton,
Ohio, in 1901 to be closer to the growing steel and automotive hubs in
Pittsburgh and Detroit.
    It was after Henry Timken had retired as a successful carriage maker, with
12 carriage-related patents, that he pursued his tapered roller bearing
design.  He was 67 years old when he received his tapered roller bearing
patents.
    Henry Timken's induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame is
timely, serving as a prelude to The Timken Company's 100th anniversary.
Celebrations are planned at company locations around the world, and the
founder's legacy and contributions will be an integral part of the Centennial
commemoration.
    Henry Timken's bearing concept has been continuously refined over the last
century, but his original design has remained the foundation for the tapered
roller bearing industry.  Today, in addition to manufacturing bearings, The
Timken Company produces high-quality alloy steels from which bearings are
formed.
    "Henry Timken once said, 'Don't set your name to anything you will ever
have cause to be ashamed of.'  The Timken tapered roller bearing has helped
improve living standards the world over," said W. R. Timken, Jr.  "He would be
pleased to know that the Timken brand now is recognized and respected globally
and is associated closely with quality, reliability and precision."

    "Today, the company produces bearings small enough to fit easily on the
tip of a finger and large enough for a 6-foot person to stand in," said Robert
Leibensperger, executive vice president, chief operating officer and president
-- bearings.  "The Timken Company is proof that good ideas -- like Henry's --
can endure for decades and affect the lives of millions."
    The Timken Company is a leading international manufacturer of highly
engineered bearings and alloy steels.  The company employs 21,000 people
worldwide and reported 1997 sales of more than U.S. $2.6 billion.