LeRoy McVey Bickett

The 1924 City Directory for Watertown, WI, shows Leroy Bickett living at 700 Clyman Street, essentially the intersection of 7th and Clyman Streets. This is the home he would live in for the rest of his life.

The 1925 City Directory for Watertown, WI, shows Leroy M Bickett mgr Bickett Rubber Products Corp res Watertown Wis

Helen Margaret "Marie" (Gebauer) Baker died July 31, 1925, at Saint Mary's Hospital, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, at age 79. Buried in Glen Forest Cemetery, Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH.

Ruth Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Simons) Bickett died September 3, 1926, in the Village of Yellow Springs, Miami Twp., Greene Co., OH, at age 73. Buried in Glen Forest Cemetery, Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH.

The 1930 U. S. Census taken on April 10, 1930, shows LeRoy Bickett (age 46) born in Ohio to Ohio-born parents and first married at age 28, is a married Manager of a Rubber Factory, and who owns his house worth $12,000 and is living at 700 Clyman Street, 9th Ward, City of Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Living with him are: his wife, Gertrude Bickett (age 50) born in Ohio to Ohio and German-born parents, and first married at age 32; his unmarried daughter, Helen Bickett (age 17) born in Ohio to Ohio-born parents; and his daughter, Ruth Bickett (age 13) born in Ohio to Ohio-born parents.

The 1930 U. S. Census taken on April 4, 1930 shows Clara M. Harrigan (age 59) born in Wisconsin to Swedish-born parents, is a Proprietor of a Gift Shop who rents her home for $50/month, and is living at 606-1/2 Main Street, 11th Ward, City of Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Living with her are her two unmarried children, both born in Wisconsin to Wisconsin-born parents: Winifred Harrigan (age 30), a Sales Lady in a Gift Shop; and Wesley Harrigan (age 28), a Superintendent in a Rubber Factory.

At the 1931 Elks National Bowling Tournament held in Detroit, Wayne Co., MI, the Watertown team broke three records and won the tournament with an overall score of 3,166. Elks Lodge 666 members on the team were: Harry O'Brien, Joseph Lange, Fred Maertzke, L. M. Bickett, and William Hartzeim.

Raymond Gordon "Ray" Bushey died January 2, 1941, in Tripoli, Oneida Co., WI, at age 45. Buried in Plainfield Cemetery, Plainfield, Waushara Co., WI.

Men Of Achievement In Wisconsin, 1946, Page 191, John Moranz Associates, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI.

LeRoy McVey Bickett was one of the few Wisconsin men honored in the first edition for manufacturing in that state.

L. M. Bickett

L. M. BICKETT COMPANY

L. M. Bickett became identified with the rubber industry in the year 1908, and after five years experience with several large rubber manufacturers organized the Xenia Rubber Mfg. Co. at Xenia, Ohio in 1913. In 1917 the Xenia Rubber Mfg. Co. was sold to a group of Milwaukee industrialists who organized the Ever Wear Rubber Co. and the business was transferred to Milwaukee, L. M. Bickett becoming General Manager of the Milwaukee organization. In 1920 the Ever Wear Rubber Co. was taken over as a going concern by Rubtex Products, Inc., of Indianapolis and manufacturing activities were transferred to that city. After having resided in Wisconsin for approximately three years he decided to remain in Wisconsin and in the fall of 1920 the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. of Watertown, Wis. was organized to manufacture industrial rubber goods. In 1932 the Bickett Rubber Products. Corp. reorganized and became the L. M. Bickett Company and this reorganized company has met with remarkable success specializing in the manufacture of sponge rubber cushions, desk and chair mats, and other rubber products distributed through the office supply trade. During the war all civilian production was suspended and the plant operated 100% on war work and had numerous contracts, both direct and subcontract. Prior to the war an extensive market was developed for a patented type of office chair cushion called the RESPIRATOR, and the slogan THE WORLD IS SITTING ON RESPIRATOR CUSHIONS was adopted for the reason that they were shipped to foreign countries completely encircling the globe. The Respirator ventilated seat cushion was developed and patented by L. M. Bickett and several additional patents were secured, all dealing with the manufacture or use of rubber products. L. M. is a hard working individual spending a minimum amount of his time in the office, preferring to work in the factory working with rubber products or preparing mold equipment to be used in producing special products. Quite frequently salesmen refuse to believe that they had interviewed the boss himself as in the course of his work, soiled clothing, dirty face and hands led visitors to believe they were talking to one of the factory employees. L. M. Bickett's hobbies are bowling, fishing, and hunting, and as the result of his outdoor life whenever occasion permits, also exercise secured by bowling, he has always enjoyed good health and his physical activity is a great endorsement of temperance, exercise and fresh air. In anticipation of the time when he can retire from more active life he has acquired a number of adjoining farms representing a total in excess of 700 acres, and it is his plan to convert this into a ranch, specializing in the raising of steers, sheep, poultry and the usual line of grain crops. This project will be known as Le-Ki-Re Ranch a duplicate of the dude ranches found in the western states. Having had many years experience in the rubber industry, principally in the mechanical and industrial field, his advice and cooperation in adapting rubber to industrial requirements are of great advantage to the various industries located in Wisconsin, and this to a great extent is responsible for the success of the L. M. Bickett Company.

In anticipation of the time when he can retire from more active life he has acquired a number of adjoining farms representing a total in excess of 700 acres, and it is his plan to convert this into a ranch, specializing in the raising of steers, sheep, poultry and the usual line of grain crops. This project will be known as Le-Ki-Re Ranch a duplicate of the dude ranches found in the western states.

During the mid-1940s Mr. Bickett decided the time had come to buy the farmland he said he always wanted to buy, to replace that which his grandfather Adam Reed Bickett had lost following the Civil War, so he bought several farms totaling 734 acres near Richwood, Town of Shields, Dodge Co., WI. One of the farms turned out to be completely unsuitable for farming operations, so he decided to dredge it out, creating a pond, and turn it into a wildlife refuge. This was an extremely expensive operation, and he had a difference of opinion with the Internal Revenue Service over his claims he had been advised this was an operating expense and should not be capitalized. He contested the tax assessment, without success, and of course with prolonging the affair the penalties grew larger. His preoccupation with this matter had a greatly adverse effect on his health. Financially the whole affair of the "ranch" was a disaster. Before his death he agreed to sell part of the farm property to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and this area is still used for wildlife.

Sometime in 1943 or 1944 both the L. M. Bickett Co. and Bickett personally were assessed additional taxes. According to Helen Means (Bickett) Fiegel, Bickett's daughter, his personal tax problems involved a tax deduction unrelated to the operation of the company. The dispute over the company's taxes involved a basis for computing the net profits of the company after its reorganization. Bickett maintained that until the financial statement of the L. M. Bickett Co. equaled the value of the investments of the original stockholders of the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. plus the value of the newly invested capital at the time of reorganization in 1932, there could be no net profits on which taxes were due. This issue remained unsettled until the fall of 1953, when an arrangement for payment was made. Payment was completed by the end of 1955.

The financial problems of the company were compounded by a series of internal organizational, management, and control problems during the early 1950s. The outcome of these problems was Bickett's resignation as president and director in January, 1955. He severed his relationship with the company except as its landlord, although the company continued operation under the direction of his daughter and son-in-law, Ruth G. and Wilbur A. Larson.

L. M. Bickett died May 4, 1958, and the company he founded went into bad standing sometime during the mid-1960s.

In late 1946, the L. M. Bickett Company created a program to make a Respirator chair cushion available free of charge to qualifying Wisconsin working disabled veterans who had to sit down for extended periods of time. Shown below is the link to the front cover, inside article and back cover of Volume II Number 8 of the AMVETS Department of Wisconsin, published in 1947.

POST NO.35

RIEDEMANN-THOMPSON WATERTOWN

The first organizational meeting of AMVETS Post No. 35 was held on June 24, 1947 at the Streamline. The meeting was conducted by John J. Millane, Dept. Sr. Vice Commander and various other State Department officials were also in attendance. Earl Danner, Commander; Robert Shubert, Adjutant and Don Mitchell, Finance Officer were the temporary officers elected at this meeting. AMVETS Post No. 35 was named in memory of Harvey W. Riedemann, son of Hr. and Mrs. Erick A. Riedemann, who lost his life while a prisoner of war of the Japanese and George E. Thompson, son of Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Thompson, who died while a prisoner of war of the Nazis. Thus the Post is named after one Pacific and one European war theatre victim from Watertown to perpetuate their memories through the years to come. The Riedemann-Thompson Post was chartered on September 2. 1947 with a total of 179 charter members. The charter was presented at ceremonies held in connection with the first Post Picnic on September 14, 1947 at Riverside Park. Post No. 35 had the distinction of being the largest original charter Post in the United States and also won the National Commander’s Membership Plaque in the 4th National District, in 1947. Watertown AMVETS were host to AMVETS first State Bowling Tournament, held at Raasch’s Bowl in Watertown in 1948 as well as the AMVETS State Golf Tournaments of 1948 and 1949. In fact, Riedemann-Thompson retired the State Golf Trophy after winning it three years in a row. The 1952 AMVETS Mid-Winter Conference was held in Watertown. In 1948, Post 35 with the cooperation of the L. M. Bickett Co. of Watertown provided spine protex respirator chair cushions to be available at no cost to disabled veterans who were required to sit long hours because of disability. AMVET Amputee Automobile Plates for Veteran Amputees entitling unlimited parking privileges in the City of Watertown and surrounding cities were also provided and distributed by Post 35. Post No. 35 AMVETS were instrumental in forming the Watertown Veterans’ Council comprised of representation from AMVETS, American Legion and V.F.W. Posts. This organization speaks for the combined effort of three great veteran organizations.

The 1950 U. S. Census taken on April 10, 1950, shows Le Roy Bickett (age 66) born in Wisconsin, and with father and mother born in the United States, and last year was living in the Same House, and with 8 years of School, is a married Owner of a Private Rubber Manufacturing Company, and is living at 700 Clyman Street, 9th Ward, City of Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Living with him is his wife, Gertrude Bickett (age 70) born in Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI, Sunday, August 17, 1952

Egrets Flock to Wisconsin Wild Life Haven, By MARY DECKER

Three grandsons for whom Le Roy Bickett, Watertown, Wis., named his square mile farm and wild life oasis are shown on the edge of the marsh with their grandfather. The boys (left to right) are Leigh and Reed Larson and Kirt Fiegel. The Bickett holdings, roosting grounds of hundreds of white egrets, are named from the first initials of the boys: Lee-Ki-Ree ranch. Ducks and geese also visit the marsh.

Watertown, Wis. - Sub-marginal farming lands, diked to hold the waters of 15 springs on the mile square holdings of LeRoy M. Bickett, have been converted into a wild life oasis which in a period of several years has come to be the evening camp of more than a thousand American egrets. They come when the night comes and stand silently tall like white unlighted candles in the treetops. Lying along the great marsh which stretches north to Beaver Dam and Fox lakes, Bickett's wild life oasis was a barren land for the most part when he took it over in 1945. A roile of dike was laid and tamped and the pools soon grew to reeds, sedges and all the rest of the blooming marsh plants. Then the birds came: Marsh wrens, black capped night herons, members of the rail family, ducks and geese and finally, three years ago, the egrets. Only 200 came that first year, but since then they have come in greater flocks until now, along with their lesser cousins, the snowy egret and the little blue heron, they fill the evenings with calls of contentment as they settle out of the sky to roost. More than 60 years ago the government came this way. A pipe was driven many feet into the ground to test the subsoil, and it spurted a white plume water until an unthinking teamster hitched his horses to the pipe and broke it off. Even before that day the Indians used the marsh. Still standing is a tree bent away over to the ground to mark the trail's end and to signal that at this point the trail was no longer passable. Bickett calls his farm the Lee-Ki-Ree ranch, a combination of the first initials of his three grandsons. "It is for them," Bickett says stretching a hand out toward the land, "for their enjoyment and for their education." The youngsters call him Pal. He built a tree house big enough for the three to sleep in. They idolize the Watertown industrialist and roam the farm with him. The new pools harbor trout and Bickett says he will allow anglers to fish them. Trees have been left standing on the hummocks of land to break the skyline, and the handiwork of man is no longer discernable under the lush growth of greenery. That is the Lee-Ki-Ree ranch, a new monument to practical land use under a new order of reclamation which provides room for the wild as well as the domestic animals and birds of the earth.

LeRoy McVey "Roy" Bickett died May 4, 1958, at St. Mary's Hospital, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, at age 75. Buried in the Bickett/Fiegel plot, Grave 9, Lot 6, Block 32, Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Primary cause of death: Bleeding Duodenal Ulcer due to Generalized Arteriosclerosis. Secondary cause of death: Diabetic Acidosis.

The Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, May 5, 1958, obituary for L. M. Bickett which appeared on the front page.

L. M. Bickett Stricken Here At Age of 75

Business Leader Was Widely Known; Funeral Wednesday

L. M. Bickett, 75, of 700 Clyman Street, one of Watertown's widely known civic and industrial leaders, died late last night in St. Mary's Hospital. He had been in poor health for some time. Death came to him peacefully while he slept. Mr. Bickett was head of the L. M. Bickett Co., rubber products manufacturers. He was a native of Xenia, Ohio, where he was born on May 1, 1883, a son of George and Elizabeth (Simons) Bickett. He was united in marriage to Miss Gertrude Baker, Yellow Springs, Ohio, on June 8, 1911.

Family Survives

Besides his wife he is survived by two daughters, Mrs. Victor G. (Helen) Fiegel, Elkhorn, Wis., and Mrs. W. A. Larson, Watertown. Other survivors are five grandsons, Kirt and Todd Fiegel, Leigh, Reed and Bruce Larson. Mr. Bickett was preceded in death by one grandson, Alan Fiegel. Mr. Bickett became identified with the rubber industry in 1908, and after five years experience with several large rubber manufacturers organized the Xenia Rubber Mfg. Co. at Xenia, Ohio, in 1913. In 1917 the Xenia Rubber Mfg. Co. was sold to a group of Milwaukee industrialists who organized the Everwear Rubber Co. and the business was transferred to Milwaukee, Mr. Bickett becoming General Manager of the Milwaukee organization. In 1920 the Everwear Rubber Co. was taken over as a going concern by Rubtex Products, Inc. of Indianapolis and manufacturing activities were transferred to that city.

Came Here In 1920

After having resided in Wisconsin for approximately three years he decided to remain in Wisconsin and in the fall of 1920 the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. of Watertown, Wis., was organized to manufacture industrial rubber goods. In 1932 the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. reorganized and became the L. M. Bickett Company and this reorganized company has met with remarkable success specializing in the manufacture of sponge rubber cushions, desk and chair mats, and other rubber products distributed through the office supply trade. During the war all civilian production was suspended and the plant operated 100 percent on war work and had numerous contracts, both direct and subcontract.

Developed Foreign Market

Prior to the war an extensive market was developed for a patented type of office chair called "The Respirator", and the slogan "The World is Sitting on Respirator Cushions" was adopted for the reason that they were shipped to foreign countries completely encircling the globe. The Respirator ventilated seat cushion was developed and patented by Mr. Bickett and several additional patents were secured, all dealing with the manufacture or use of rubber products. Mr. Bickett was a hard working individual, spending a minimum amount of his time in the office, preferring to work in the factory with rubber products or preparing mold equipment to be used in producing special products. Quite frequently salesmen refused to believe that they had interviewed the boss himself as in the course of his work, soiled clothing, dirty face and hands led visitors to believe they were talking to one of the factory employees.

Loved Outdoor Life

Mr. Bickett's hobbies were bowling, fishing, hunting and the outdoors. He was one of Watertown's outstanding bowlers and one of the teams he sponsored won the Elk's national tournament in 1931. In 1945 he acquired, in the Town of Shields in Dodge Co., a number of adjoining farms representing a total in excess of 700 acres. This project, known as Le-Ki-Re Ranch, named in honor of his grandsons, was his idea to make in Wisconsin a duplicate of ranches found in western states. Mr. Bickett was actively identified in all civic affairs. He was past president of the Watertown Rotary Club, past exalted ruler of the Watertown Elks Club 666, and a charter member of the Watertown Country Club; past president of the Watertown Business Men's Association which later became the Watertown Chamber of Commerce and still later the present Watertown Association of Commerce. He was also active in the Jefferson County Taxpayers Association, having served as one of its presidents.

Interest In Government

Mr. Bickett took great interest in government and in the late 1920s and early 1930s began advocating the city manager ship for Watertown. He sponsored a public meeting at which such a plan was outlined. He brought to Watertown the late George S. Parker, head of the Parker Pen Co. of Janesville, and the late Henry Traxler, then city manager of Janesville, to address the meeting. The move, however, failed, and Watertown remained under the mayor-aldermanic system until 1950, Mr. Bickett having been far ahead of his time, but he did live to see his views on city government vindicated three times in three separate elections. Mr. Bickett's personal life was one of warm and loyal friendship and his generosity, which was great, hardly ever came to public notice. He preferred to help others without taking credit or accepting acclaim. He had many interests and contributed to all of them. Watertown has been made better and richer in civic and community progress because of Mr. Bickett's influence. He leaves behind him a rich heritage for civic interest and improvement and by reason of the part he played in this community.

Service Wednesday

The funeral will take place Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock in the First Congregational Church, the Rev. Royal F. Shepard, Jr., officiating. Interment will be in Oak Hill Cemetery. Friends may pay their respects at the Schmutzler Funeral Home Tuesday from 3 to 9 p.m. and up to 10 a.m. on Wednesday. From 11 a.m. Wednesday until the funeral service the body will be in state in the church.

Leigh Larson note: About 1960, Wesley Harrigan contacted Wilbur Larson and suggested that making inflations was a good business to be in, and that he could help Mr. Larson get started. Mr. Bickett had given Wes his first rubber industry job in Milwaukee around 1919, and he felt a kindred connection with his past. These fortunate circumstances evolved into the eventual Larson family success in the manufacture of milking machine inflations for the dairy industry. Wesley W. Harrigan was born September 29, 1895, in Rhinelander, Oneida Co., WI, and died March, 1972, in Pewaukee, Waukesha Co., WI, at age 76. His sister, Winnefred Harrigan, was born July 25, 1892, and died October, 1969, in Oconomowoc, Waukesha Co., WI, at age 77.

Ruth Mae "May E." (Ford) Anderson died April 22, 1961, in Silver Spring, Montgomery Co., MD, at age 82. Buried in Morrow Cemetery, Morrow, Salem Co., OH.

Gertrude Pearl Patricia "Gertie" (Baker) Bickett died October 21, 1968, at St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, at age 88. Buried in the Bickett/Fiegel plot, Grave 8, Lot 6, Block 32, Oak Hill Cemetery, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI. Cause of Death: Cerebral Hemorrhage.

Edited reflections by their daughter Helen Means (Bickett) Fiegel

Roy was a man possessed of a great deal of "drive." He did not have a lot of formal education, but he had many and varied interests, and acquired a surprising education from, as he said, the "school of hard knocks". As a young man, he belonged to the Ohio Militia. He was a self-taught musician and played the cornet, and organized and was the leader of the Militia Band. This was in the early 1900s. He worked at a bicycle shop in Dayton, OH; then as a vulcanizer in a rubber factory in Springfield, OH. In 1911 he was a shareholder in the Globe Rubber Company of Dayton, OH. In 1914 he formed the Xenia Rubber Company. In 1917 he moved to Milwaukee, WI where he was employed by the Petley Rubber Company. In 1921 he was hired by the Pan American Rubber Company in Watertown, WI, and the company after reorganization was known as the Bickett Rubber Products Company. Lawson Airplane Company--Continental Faience and Tile Company (added 2001 - Building - #01000964); also known as Pan-American Rubber Company, 909 Menomonee Ave., South Milwaukee. During 1931, an effort was made to move the company to Anderson, IN, but because of the failure of the bank backing the move, after moving some equipment to Anderson, the company returned to Watertown, where it was reorganized as the L. M. Bickett Company, which continued until after his death in 1958. LeRoy Bickett had several patents issued to him (see below). The L. M. Bickett Company, in addition to custom rubber molding, developed a line of products for office use. Mr. Bickett designed, patented, and developed a world-wide market for the Respirator Chair Cushion. They also made chair mats (trade names Rolmaster and Flexmaster), and he developed the link-mat (trade name Ruberlynk) for entrances to large buildings. There were also standing mats (trade name Standees), and other mats for various purposes, as under typewriters, desk tops, jail cell beds, and bowling alley pits. He developed a rubber pencil cup holder (trade name Bicco), and a molded rubber covered mallet. In one section of the factory he had a machine shop, and he made practically all the molds that were used in production. They also produced a line of rubber-bonded abrasive grinding wheels and razor hones. A specialty product for home use was "Kleenzum", a mixture of soap and sand for cleaning really dirty hands. An unusual solid natural rubber rubber ball was also manufactured, which was about 3 inches in diameter and had two external 360 degree half round circular ridges at 90 degrees to each other, providing very lively but erratic and unpredictable bouncing properties. Gertie was a graduate of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH, with degrees in music and teaching. She was a member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ, and the Clover Club of that church; a member of Watertown Chapter No. 44 Order of Eastern Star and the Past Matrons Club of the Eastern Star; was the first president of the Band Mothers Club, now known as the Parents Music Club. She had resided in Watertown from 1921 until 1963 when she moved to Elkhorn, WI, to make her home with her daughter Helen. She resided at St. Joseph's Home for the Aged in Watertown from late 1967 until her death in 1968. Roy and Gertie were married in the Village of Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH, on June 8, 1911, and they lived in Yellow Springs until moving to Wisconsin in 1917. After 1921 their home was in Watertown, WI and they both became community leaders in various activities. During the mid-1940s Mr. Bickett decided the time had come to buy the farmland he said he always wanted to buy, to replace that which his grandfather Adam Reed Bickett had lost following the Civil War, so he bought several farms totaling 734 acres near Richwood, Dodge Co., WI. One of the farms turned out to be completely unsuitable for farming operations, so he decided to dredge it out, creating a pond, and turn it into a wildlife refuge. This was an extremely expensive operation, and he had a difference of opinion with the Internal Revenue Service over his claims he had been advised this was an operating expense and should not be capitalized. He contested the tax assessment, without success, and of course with prolonging the affair the penalties grew larger. His preoccupation with this matter had a greatly adverse effect on his health. Financially the whole affair of the "ranch" was a disaster. Before his death he agreed to sell part of the farm property to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and this area is still used for wildlife. Life was far from easy for Roy and Gertie. They raised their two daughters through the Depression years, just at the time the company was attempting to make the move to Indiana, and the Respirator Seat Cushion idea and patent were the result of desperately searching for a saleable product to make. Then the economic conditions gradually righted themselves and they had the problems of the "ranch" to handle, plus Roy's onset of diabetes. They were beloved by their grandsons, more than many knew. How those grandsons loved to go to the "ranch" with Pal and Granny!

Men Of Achievement In Wisconsin, 1946, Page 191, John Moranz Associates, Milwaukee, Milwaukee Co., WI.

LeRoy McVey "Roy" Bickett was one of the few Wisconsin men honored in the first edition for manufacturing in that state.

L. M. Bickett

L. M. BICKETT COMPANY

The Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, Saturday, June 26, 1954, Centennial Edition

Businessmen Purchased Pan-American Rubber Co., Started Bickett Firm Here

The rubber business in Watertown dates back to 1918 when a group of Watertown businessmen purchased controlling interest in the Pan-American Rubber Co., which had been operating in South Milwaukee, manufacturing a sponge rubber tube filler. After severing control of the company, the businessmen purchased a building at 600 South First Street in Watertown and moved the equipment from South Milwaukee to Watertown. The Pan-American Rubber Co. experienced considerable difficulty in disposing of its product; also, had some trouble in manufacturing sponge rubber fillers for the larger size tires, and as the result operations were not successful and profitable. In the fall of 1920 the group arranged for L. M. Bickett to come out to Watertown and, if possible give them some advice regarding the solving of their problems. At that time a meeting of all the stockholders was held to discuss the situation and to listen to the suggestions made by Mr. Bickett. After reviewing the entire situation Mr. Bickett suggested that they discontinue manufacture of the sponge rubber tire fillers and convert the factory into mechanical rubber goods, for which there was a great demand and orders could be secured without sales expense. After several conferences it was decided to liquidate the Pan-American Rubber Co. and to organize a new mechanical rubber goods company, and although L. M. Bickett was at that time employed by the Rubtex Products Corp., he agreed to resign and accept a position with the new corporation to be organized, and accordingly, in April of 1921 the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. was organized, the Pan-American Rubber Co. was liquidated and immediately thereafter the newly organized Bickett Rubber Products Corp. started operations.

Three Still Living

The following is a complete list of all the original incorporators of the Bickett Rubber Products Corp., and all, excepting three of the gentlemen listed, have passed on: L. M. Bickett, R. A. Cebell, Charles Feisst, R. J. Hoge, E. J. Hoermann, Dan Kusel, Louis H. Kusel, Max G. Kusel, A. F. Mayer, Fred Saxmann, Edward L. Schempf, W. S. Siebert, Herman Wertheimer, O. C. Wertheimer and G. Pritzlaff. Of this group Mr. Bickett, Mr. Hoge and Dan Kusel, are the men still living. Due to the fact that the equipment used by the Pan-American Rubber Co. was not suitable for the manufacture of mechanical rubber goods it was necessary to purchase approximately $100,000 worth of new equipment, and this was accordingly done and installed within 12 or 18 months after incorporation. In order to get into production as soon as possible, while developing the mechanical rubber goods business, the company secured contracts from a number of chain store organizations for stair treads and rubber heels, and within three years time the company achieved the honor of being the largest manufacturer of stair treads in the United States. As mechanical rubber goods orders were received the volume of business increased and profitable operations resulted.

Operations Moved

In 1931, the Bickett Rubber Corp. received a proposition from a group of citizens in Anderson, Ind., to transfer the business to Anderson, Ind., and in view of the fact that 80 per cent of the company's business was in the eastern states, which could better be served from Anderson, Ind., than Watertown. The offer made was accepted and in August, 1931, operations were discontinued in Watertown and removal of the equipment was made to Anderson. Unfortunately, in October, 1931, the bank at Anderson which had undertaken the financing of the transfer and had agreed to invest $100,000 in the Anderson organization, was forced to close, and as the result the Wisconsin corporation lost all of the equipment, finished goods, raw materials and current assets which had been transferred to Anderson. It was the plan of the Indiana stockholders to operate the rubber business at Anderson just as soon as it was possible for them to raise the capital and reopen their bank; however, under such a plan the Wisconsin stockholders would have lost their entire investment, although in their plans for the reopening of the Anderson factory Mr. Bickett was to remain at Anderson, he refused to do so and instead took legal steps to secure the release of the buildings and equipment at Watertown so that operations at Watertown could be resumed. In order to secure the release of the assets at Watertown Mr. Bickett personally had to assume obligations of approximately $73,000, and in addition it was necessary to borrow from the Falk Corporation of Milwaukee $17,000 with which to reopen the Watertown plant and resume production. Approximately $14,000 of the borrowed $17,000 was expended for equipment to replace the most essential part of the equipment, which had been transferred to Anderson, leaving less than $3,000 as working capital for the newly organized L. M. Bickett Company which was incorporated in April, 1932.

Stock Exchanged

Although it was deemed advisable and planned to continue operations under the original charter issued to the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and using the same name, unfortunately this was not allowed and it was necessary to organize a new corporation. However, stock in the new corporation was exchanged for stock in the old corporation held by the original stockholders and not one of them was called on to contribute $1 to the new L. M. Bickett Company. Starting operations in the spring of 1932 was extremely difficult because at that time and for two or three years thereafter the entire country suffered from a severe depression, and this resulted in a great handicap to the company. However, resulting from the goodwill established under the name of the old corporation, production was started and increased continuously and within three or four years time the production equaled production established by the old corporation.

In 1934, L. M. Bickett secured a patent on a new and greatly improved type of seat cushion. Although he was offered $100,000 for this patent three days after it was issued it was assigned to the L. M. Bickett Company at a total cost of $258, which represented the lawyers' fees in securing the patent. The trade accepted the new ventilated type of cushion, which was named “Respirator,” and within five years time was being sold and used in approximately 45 foreign countries. This business continued to increase until the war in December, 1941, at which time the government prohibited the use of rubber in seat cushions and all other non-essential products reserving everything or wartime needs. The rubber restraining order continued until the conclusion of the war in 1945. In order to keep the factory in operation essential war orders were secured and the factory operated approximately 18 hours per day during the years 1944 and 1945. At the conclusion of World War II all restrictions on rubber were removed and the company resumed production on civilian products and there has been no interference with production since the war ended and the company has been in continuous profitable production ever since.

Plant Enlarged

In 1942, and continuing up through 1946, additional buildings were constructed and additional equipment was installed - all from profits resulting from operations, and as the result the plant is now completely equipped to an even greater extent than it was before the transfer to Anderson, Ind. Since 1932, after the reorganization and with a starting working capital of less than $3,000, the L. M. Bickett Company has transacted up to December, 1953, a grand total of $3,188,965 of business. Earnings have been sufficient to pay dividends to all stockholders, and the company has an established trade extending from coast to coast with approximately 3,000 customers located in practically every large city in the United States. Unfortunately, the foreign business which had been created during the years 1935 to 1941 has been wiped out due to restrictions in the various foreign countries which prohibit the importation of non-essential products, the difference in exchange resulting from World War II and economic conditions which still prevail in a great many of these countries. Operating as the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. from 1921 to 1931 and as the L. M. Bickett Company from 1932 up to date, the company has never had an idle period and continuous operation has been the rule. It might be stated that this situation is because of the diversified nature of the products manufactured, also the possibility of adding additional lines whenever any particular line indicates a slack period. Within six years after the organization of the L. M. Bickett Company all the obligations which had been assumed in the separation from the Indiana corporation had been paid, the Falk Corporation loan was repaid and occasionally new equipment is installed which automatically increases our production. Acknowledgment is made by Mr. Bickett to the original stockholders and incorporators of the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. for their assistance in creating a new industry in Watertown, which because of the fact that it was one hundred per cent locally owned has been a contributing factor to the industrial prosperity of Watertown for the past 33 years.

The Watertown Daily Times, Watertown, Jefferson Co., WI, Saturday, June 26, 1954, Centennial Edition

Eastern Star Organization Is in Its 61st Year Now

Sixty-one years ago the Watertown Chapter No. 44, Order of the Eastern Star was organized. The first meeting was held Feb. 23, 1893 at which time the following officers were elected: Carrie Sleeper, worthy matron; William Rohr, worthy patron; Ema Eaton, association matron; Amanda Fuehrman, treasurer; Tillie Valerius, secretary; E. Gardener, conductress; Augusta Schmutzler, associate conductress; Stella Jossi, Ada; Marie Sproesesr, Ruth; Elizabeth Solliday, Electa; Anne Wadleigh, Esther; Helen May, Martha; Shara Bradbury, chaplain; Jennie Thorne, warder; Ella Brickell, organist; William Hawkins, sentinel.

56 Charter Members

Of the 56 charter members of the chapter, three are still living. They are John Seager, Anna Wadleigh, and Stella J. Cebell. Others listed as charter members were D. O. Bradbury, Mary Bradbury, Ella Brickell, A. E. Calhoun, Mary Calhoun, George Cooley, Rachael E. Davies, F. M. Eaton, Dudley Fitzgerald, Rocena Fitzgerald, Charles Fuermann, Amanda Fuermann, Charles Gardner, Emma Gardner, William Humphrey, William N. Hawkins, Annie Harrison, Theodore Huber, Jacob Jossi, Elizabeth Jossi, William H. Rohr, Samuel Kussel, Ida Kussel, Edward May, Helena May, A. Solliday, Elizabeth Solliday, Ferd. Schmutzler, Augusta Schmutzler, W. D. Sproesser, Marie Sproesser, William Sleight, Aminda Sleight, Jennie Seager, S. R. Sleeper, Carrie Sleeper, Viola Stahl, David Schwab, John Throne, N. P. Valerius, Tillie Valerius, Paul Valerius, Bertha Valerius, Frank Weber, Augusta Weber, W. Wadleigh, Sarah Webb, O. H. Will, George Weber and Emilie Weber. Past grand officers include. Lavisa Collins, grand sentinel, who served in 1915; L. J. Marsh, who acted as grand sentinel in 1943, grand associate patron, 1944, grand patron, 1945, and trustee from 1945 to 1953; Elsie Joseph, grand Rep. of Utah, 1936; Evelyn Krietzman, Rep. of Oregon, 1940, and Lena Cross, Rep. of Arkansas, 1945.

Past Matrons

Past patrons, who have served the chapter, include: Carrie Sleeper - 1893-94-95; Emma Eaton - 1896-97; Marie Sproesser - 1898; Stell Cebell - 1899; Jennie Seager - 1900-01; Ametia Huber -1902; Julia Rathbourne - 1903; Artie Mendenhall - 1904-05; Elizabeth Henrich - 1906-07-08; Anna Krueger - 1909-10-11; Mary Sabin - 1912-13; Lavisa Collins - 1914-15, Florence Kraemer -1916; Meta Calhoun - 1917-18: Anna Schaufler - 1919; Mary Weigel - 1920; Elizabeth Kelly - 1921-22; Maude Moen - 1923; Ethel Krueger - 1924-25; Lydia Keel - 1926; Elsa Rose - 1927; Gertrude Bickett - 1928; Laura Harte – 1929; Edna Voss - 1930-31; Anna Kuenzi - 1932; Anna Kleineschay - 1933; Inez Richards - 1934; Alice Alt - 1935; Elsie Joseph - 1936; Annie Zick - 1937; Vivian Hansen - 1938; Marie Grossert - 1939; Evelyn Kreitzman - 1940; Irene Roth - 1941; Loda Carlson - 1942; Lorina Starkey - 1943; Zita Landsverk - 1944; Olga Lehtoma - 1945; Lena Cross - 1946; Ruth Moser - 1947; Milderd Nack - 1948; Ella Birkholz - 1949; Mabel Breithaupt -1950; Ruby Pugh - 1951; Doris Koerner - 1952; Kathleen Killian - 1953.

Past Patrons

Past patrons include the following: William Rohr - 1893-94; Frank Eaton - 1895-1900, 1905-06; Ferdinand Schmutzler – 1896 -1898, 1901-1903, 1908-1910; John Seager - 1899, 1904; Arthur Mulberger - 1907; William Collins - 1911-12; William Thomas - 1913; William Richard - 1914; Frank Burke - 1915-17; E. T. Hayhurst - 1913; J. B. Atkinson - 1918-19; John Calhoun – 1920, 1924; Carl Meckes - 1921; C. L. VanderBie - 1922-23; Frank Slight -1925; Joseph Rhodes - 1926-27-28; William Kleineschay - 1929-30; Fred Alt - 1931-32-33-34; William Zick - 1935; P. D. Joseph - 1936; Theodore Zick - 1937; Oscar Hansen - 1938; Oscar Carlson - 1939; Frank Johnston – 1940, 1950; Herbert Smith - 1941; Victor Nowack - 1942; Leonard J. Marsh - 1943; William E. Radke - 1944; Morris Cross - 1945; U. R. Hagman - 1946; Erwin Keepman - 1947; Herbert Birkholtz - 1948-49; Milo Ray Shackley - 1951; Gerald Barlow - 1952; Theodore Koerner - 1953.

In February of 1916 a fire destroyed the Masonic Temple, after which Star meetings were held in the homes of members, the Knights of Columbus Hall and the Knights of Pythias Hall. The chapter, which is an auxiliary of the Masonic order, is a welfare organization and as such is engaged in welfare work.

Current Membership

The current membership of the chapter totals 238. Present officers are: LaDorna Mae Frish, worthy matron; William G. Frisch, worthy patron; Genevieve Behlke, association matron; Milo Ray Shackley, association patron; Elsie Joseph, secretary; Loda Carlson, treasurer; Elsa Peck, conductress; Helen Osterhout, associate conductress; Esther Flater, chaplain; Alice Dauer, marshal; Clara Reinhard, organist; Elizabeth Johnson, Adah; Aethol Stockli, Ruth; Joan Killian, Esther; Marian Carlson, Martha; Marilyn Birkholz, Electa; Shirey Hille, warder; Mark Osterhout, sentinel, and Grace Flath, soloist.

Past Matrons Club

The Past Matrons Club of the Watertown chapter, Order of Eastern Star was organized Sept. 16, 1938 when a meeting of all past matrons was held at the home of Laura Harte. Elizabeth Kelly acted as chairman at the meeting of organization. The objectives of the club are social and to aid in any altruistic endeavors promoted by the Watertown Star Chapter. First officers were Ann Miller, president, and Gertrude Bickett, secretary-treasurer. The following became charter members: Gertrude Bickett, Meta Calhoun, Laura Harte, Elsie Joseph, Lydia Kiel, Elizabeth Kelly, Ann Kleineschay, Ethel Krueger, Ann Kuenzi, Ann Miller, Maud Moen, Elsa Rose, Ann Zick, Inez Richards and Vivian Hanson. The club, which meets on the first Monday of the month with the exception of July and August, has a membership of 23. Hostesses entertain in alphabetical order.

1900C: Yellow Spring, Greene, OH- 68 yrs, b. Dec 1831 in OH, m. 40 yrs, retired, parents b. SC & OH, w/wife & 2 daughters
1910C: Miami, Greene Co., OH- William Means, widower, own income, all else (unknown), w/daughter, Pearl A

OHIO Deaths
b. 18 Dec 1831 in OH d. 28 Jul 1921 in Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH
buried- Ironton, OH

Find A Grave Memorial# 35424023
William A. Means, son of Thomas Means became successful in the iron industry at Ironton Ohio and engaged in the same business in Cincinnati when he was about 45 years old and later became head of a Cincinnati bank. He was the mayor of Cincinnati in 1881-1882. Mr. Means was prominent in democratic politics for many years. For forty years while a resident of Cincinnati he maintained a summer home in Yellow Springs, Ohio eventually moving there to spend the remainder of his life. It was at his home in Yellow Springs that he died, on Friday July 29, 1921 at 10 o'clock. He was married to Martha Elizabeth Campbell (1842-1904) daughter of John Campbell of Ironton on October 12, 1859 by Rev. J. Chester. They had three daughters, Pearl Means (d.1931), Gertrude Means (c1869-1949) and Pattie Means (1874-1921).

William married Martha E CAMPBELL on 12 Oct 1859. (Martha E CAMPBELL was born in Aug 1842 in Lawrence Co., OH, died on 19 Feb 1904 in Cincinnati, OH and was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Ironton, OH.)

He was married to Martha Elizabeth Campbell (1842-1904) daughter of John Campbell of Ironton on October 12, 1859 by Rev. J. Chester.

Pearl A. Means (born February, 1866, in Ohio; died August 25, 1931, at her home on Davis Street, Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH, after an illness of several years). Never Married, but was intimate with a co-actor married man, John Bereford Hollis, while together in the play "All the Comforts of Home" in 1894 in Cincinnati, OH. In 1911, Pearl Means sold her interest in the Means estate to her sister, Gertrude Julian.

Pearl Means, daughter of William Means, was best known for her acting abilities and in 1893 became professor of Elocution at Antioch College. It seems that Pearl was also an animal lover and animals rights advocate. According to a Cincinnati Enquirer article dated, June 7, 1894, Pearl became upset when a man “had been driving a very dejected specimen of the equine family.”, and immediately had him arrested for “cruelty to animals”. It was decided that a jury made up of “respectable citizens” would determine whether it would be best for the horse to spend six months at pasture (which Pearl would pay for) and be returned to its owner or whether the animal should be put out of its misery.

The jury came to the decision that it would be best for the animal to be put to death. According to the article, “When the final arrangements had been made Miss Means produced a beautiful revolver, which she skillfully handled and one shot was sufficient to end the unhappy days of the horse.

Just prior to her father’s death in 1921, Pearl’s sister, Gertrude Julian and her husband sold the property to Antioch College with the stipulation that Pearl and her father could remain in the house for the remainder of William’s life. Upon her father’s death, Pearl could not bring herself to leave the home that had been in her family for over fifty years. The headline of a local newspaper reported, “Woman Loses Battle to Retain Home; With Pets She Faces Cheerless Future”.

A year after her father’s death, Pearl refused to leave her family home and after repeated requests and offers of assistance to move Pearl from the home, Antioch College had no choice but to take legal action. Pearl was taken to court where she agreed that she no longer had a right to the property, but she still refused to leave. The constable was sent to serve her with official papers indicating that she needed to vacate the premises and when he arrived Pearl was waiting on the porch with a shotgun. The constable left and later returned with Sheriff Deputies who removed Pearl from the home and she was briefly retained in the county jail. The article goes on to say that Pearl and her dog stayed with a friend at the Little Antioch School which was just across the street from her family home. Pearl was not the only one who refused to move from the home, apparently her cat also refused to leave and continued to live on the front porch. Pearl was seen on the porch, feeding her cat, on a daily basis. Once Pearl left the home, Antioch College could make the necessary renovations on the property and the house served as a dormitory for Antioch College between 1922-1948.

While looking at a photograph of Pearl, it’s hard to imagine her pulling out a pistol and shooting a horse or waiting on the porch, with a shotgun, for the constable. What a woman Pearl must have been! She was an actress, a professor of elocution, an animal lover and obviously skilled at using a gun. I guess you could say that Pearl Means was a pistol!

Gertrude E. Means (born March 30, 1872, in Ironton, Lawrence Co., OH; died March 25, 1949, in Cincinnati, Hamilton Co., OH), married September 18, 1895, in Greene Co., OH, to William Alexander Julian (born August 7, 1861, in Franklin Co., KY; died May 29, 1949, in Bethesda, MD).

Pattie Willhelmena "Patricia" Means (born December 10, 1873, in Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH; died October 4, 1921, in a Sanitarium, Battle Creek, Calhoun Co., MI). Married June 30, 1902, in Manhattan, New York City, NY, to Thaddeus Kimball "Thad" McIlroy (1871 - 1927). Divorced before 1913.

1900C: 42 yrs, b. Aug 1842 in OH, parents b. OH, listed as Martha E C, w/husband & 2 daughters

Find A Grave Memorial# 35425741
FUNERAL FOR MRS. MEANS. - Martha Elizabeth Campbell Means, second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Campbell, was born at Mt. Furnace, Lawrence County, in 1842, and married October 12, 1859 by Rev. Joseph Chester; died February 19, 1904, in Cincinnati, Ohio, of pneumonia. William Means and daughter, Pearl, of Yellow Springs, Mrs. Alex Julian, Mr. and Mrs. Thaddeus McElroy, of New York, accompanied the body from Cincinnati. Two brothers, Albert Campbell, of Washington, D. C. and Charles Campbell of Hecla Furnace, are the only survivors of the Campbell family. The funeral services were held Sunday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the home of Mr. and Mrs. David Nixon, of Park avenue, Rev. L. O. Richmonds conducting the services. A male quartet, composed of Carl Moulton, Allen Dolin, Albert Marting and Gus Kerr sang "Abide With Me." S. B. Steece, Eugene Willard, James Bull, C. C. Clarke, Harry Mountain and Albert Murdock were pall bearers. The burial was at Woodland Cemetery

Martha married William MEANS on 12 Oct 1859. (William MEANS was born on 18 Dec 1831 in OH, died on 28 Jul 1921 in Yellow Springs, Greene Co., OH and was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Ironton, OH.)

Summary Information

Title: L. M. Bickett Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1921-1958

Creator:

Bickett, L. M., 1883-1958

Call Number: Whitewater Mss BF

Quantity: 0.4 c.f. (1 archives box)

Repository:
Housed at the University Archives & Area Research Center, Harold Andersen Library, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Library-Archives Division

Archival Locations:
See the catalog entry for information on possible additional materials and shelf locations.

UW-Whitewater Library / Whitewater Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:
Fragmentary records of Bickett, and of Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L. M. Bickett Co., Watertown, Wisconsin, rubber products manufacturing firms which he founded in 1920 and operated until 1955. The companies manufactured stair treads, shoe heels, and seat cushions. The few personal papers include family letters, financial records, a speech, an open letter to the Watertown business community, and objections to the probate of Bickett's will. Corporate records contain Bickett's historical summary of his companies, articles of organization and by-laws, minutes, audit reports, balance sheets, legal documents, stockholder subscription lists, product descriptions and costs, an inventory, promotional correspondence, salary records, and a retrospective appraisal of the L. M. Bickett Co., which went into bad standing in the mid-1960s.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-whit00bf
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Biography/History

L. M. Bickett was born May 1, 1883, in Xenia, Ohio, to George and Elizabeth S. Bickett. Although little is known of his educational background and early years, Bickett was first identified with the rubber industry in 1908. On June 8, 1911, he married Gertrude Baker. Two years later, Bickett organized the Xenia Rubber Manufacturing Co., in Xenia, Ohio. In 1917, he sold the Xenia company to a group of Milwaukee businessmen who then reorganized it as the Ever Wear Rubber Co. in Wisconsin, with Bickett as general manager. Rubtex Products, Inc., Indianapolis, bought Ever Wear in 1920 and transferred the business to Indiana. Bickett decided to remain in Wisconsin.

In the fall of 1920, Bickett accepted an offer from a group of Watertown, Wisconsin businessmen who had recently purchased the Pan American Rubber Co., West Allis, to organize the company in Watertown. In April 1921, the Bickett Rubber Products Corporation was formed, with Bickett as chief stockholder, director, and manager of the company. He held these positions until 1955.

From 1921 to 1930 the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. manufactured various products, specializing in stair treads and rubber heels. The company's main market was chain stores such as S.S. Kresge and Woolworth, and much of its product was shipped to the eastern part of the country. In order to expedite its shipping, the company established warehouses in Buffalo and Albany, New York, and in Pittsburgh.

In 1930 the company accepted an offer from a group of businessmen in Anderson, Indiana, to purchase a quarter interest in the company for 100,000 dollars. The next year the company moved to Anderson in expectation of receiving this new capital and to eliminate some of its warehouses. But, in October 1931, the Citizens Bank of Anderson, Indiana, the source of the new funds, failed, and Bickett decided to return to Wisconsin. He secured a release for the building and equipment that had remained in Watertown, and resumed manufacturing operations there.

In order to secure this release and to re-equip the Watertown plant, Bickett personally assumed a debt of 73,000 dollars and borrowed 17,000 dollars more from the Falk Corp. in Milwaukee, which owned the diesel engine generating the power at the plant. In April 1932, the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. was reorganized under the new name of L. M. Bickett Co. The stock of the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. was exchanged for that of the new company without further investment required. This reorganization later became the basis of a long battle over taxes assessed on the profits of the L. M. Bickett Co.

In 1934 Bickett secured a patent on a new type of ventilated seat cushion called the “Respirator” and within a few years the company's business was on the increase. In 1938 Bickett purchased the interests of the Falk Co. and the equipment and real estate held by several bond holders, and thus became not only the chief stockholder of the company, but also its landlord. The upward trend in business continued until World War II brought production of commercial rubber products to a halt in 1941. During the war essential orders were obtained to keep the plant in operation, but the disruption of business both during and after the war brought serious financial problems to the company.

Sometime in 1943 or 1944 both the L. M. Bickett Co. and Bickett personally were assessed additional taxes. According to Helen Bickett Fiegel, Bickett's daughter, his personal tax problems involved a tax deduction unrelated to the operation of the company. The dispute over the company's taxes involved a basis for computing the net profits of the company after its reorganization.

Bickett maintained that until the financial statement of the L. M. Bickett Co. equaled the value of the investments of the original stockholders of the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. plus the value of the newly invested capital at the time of reorganization in 1932, there could be no net profits on which taxes were due. This issue remained unsettled until the fall of 1953, when an arrangement for payment was made. Payment was completed by the end of 1955.

The financial problems of the company were compounded by a series of internal organizational, management, and control problems during the early 1950s. The outcome of these problems was Bickett's resignation as president and director in January 1955. He severed his relationship with the company except as its landlord, although the company continued operation under the direction of his daughter and son-in-law, Ruth G. and W. A. Larson.

L. M. Bickett died May 4, 1958, and the company he founded went into bad standing sometime during the mid-1960s.

Scope and Content Note

Most of the records of Bickett's companies remained with the L. M. Bickett Co. when Bickett retired. This collection includes only scattered personal papers and corporate records of both Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L. M. Bickett Co.

Within the PERSONAL PAPERS are a small file of family correspondence, mainly pertaining to company organizational problems involving family members; personal financial records, including worksheets of debits, credits, and accounts, and a list of personal property sold as of December 31, 1955; and Ruth G. Larson's objections to probate of L. M. Bickett's will. There is also a speech, possibly delivered by Bickett at a graduation ceremony, and an open letter for Watertown's centennial (1954) urging promotion of industry in the community.

The CORPORATE RECORDS contain a historical summary of L. M. Bickett Co. and its predecessors, written by L. M. Bickett; articles of organization and by-laws; balance sheets and other financial records, including a list of creditors of the failed company, 1931; leases and legal papers; and stockholder subscription lists of both Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L. M. Bickett Co.; minutes of board of directors and stockholders meetings of Bickett Rubber Products Corp.; and audit reports of the L. M. Bickett Co., with additional notes and related financial data. Records of products and sales include the only illustrations and descriptions of the company's products, with a calculation of costs and profits on individual products produced by the Bickett Rubber Products Corp. There is also an inventory of machinery and equipment not shipped to Anderson, Indiana in 1931; promotional sales correspondence, mainly humorous annual Christmas letters written by Bickett under the pseudonym of Jim Brown; and salary data, consisting of a letter concerning salary policy, wage rate schedules, comparative salary summaries, and a record of past salaries. Also included is the retrospective appraisal of replacement values, depreciation and net sound values as of April 18, 1941, of the L. M. Bickett Co. There is little documentation of the company's lengthy tax problems.

Administrative/Restriction Information

Acquisition Information

Presented by Helen Bickett Fiegel, Elkhorn, Wisconsin, 1975. Accession Number: M75-226

Processing Information

Processed by Richard A. Cameron and Joanne Hohler, 1975, and by Bill Beaudreau and Menzi Behrnd-Klodt, 1986.

Contents List

Series: Personal Papers

Box 1

Folder 1

Family Correspondence, 1949-1955

Box 1

Folder 2

Personal Financial Records, 1946-1958

Box 1

Folder 3

Objections to Probate of Will of L. M. Bickett by Ruth G. Larson, July 15, 1958

Box 1

Folder 4

“What Kind of an Education Present Day Business Requires” - Speech and Open Letter to Watertown Community

Series: Corporate Records

⇧

Box 1

Folder 5

Historical Summaries of L.M. Bickett Co. and Predecessors, 1920-1955, prepared by L. M. Bickett

Box 1

Folder 6

Articles of Organization and By-Laws of Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L.M. Bickett Co., 1921

Minutes of Bickett Rubber Products Corp.

Box 1

Folder 7

Board of Directors Meetings, 1921-1935

Box 1

Folder 8

Stockholders, 1921-1935

Box 1

Folder 9

Audit Reports of L.M. Bickett Co., 1952-1957

Box 1

Folder 10

Balance Sheets and Other Financial Records of Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L.M. Bickett Co. 1921, 1926, 1955

Box 1

Folder 11

Leases and Miscellaneous Legal Records, 1928, 1932, 1952, 1954 of Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L.M. Bickett Co.

Box 1

Folder 12

Stockholder Subscription Lists of Bickett Rubber Products Corp. and L.M. Bickett Co., 1921, 1952

Box 1

Folder 13

Product Descriptions and Costs, Bickett Rubber Products Corp.

Box 1

Folder 14

Equipment and Supplies

Box 1

Folder 15

Sales Correspondence and Promotional Material, 1926-1952

Box 1

Folder 16

Monthly Salaries, Based on Sales, 1945-1953

Box 1

Volume 1

Retrospective Appraisal Prepared by Lloyd Thomas Co. Chicago, 1951-1952, for L.M. Bickett Co., Reflecting Replacement New Values, Depreciation and Net Sound Values as of April 18, 1941