Waitt & Bond

Waitt & Bond was an American cigar manufacturer founded in 1870 by Charles Henry Bond and Henry Waitt. The company began in a small shop in the Cliftondale neighborhood of Saugus, Massachusetts, and grew into one of the most important cigar producers in New England. Its best-known product was Blackstone, introduced in 1885 and ultimately important enough to become the basis for the company's final corporate name. The business expanded rapidly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. After operating on Blackstone Street in Boston, Waitt & Bond moved in 1891 to a larger factory on Endicott Street. In 1913 it occupied a newly constructed plant at 716 Columbus Avenue in Boston. The facility was described as the largest cigar factory under one roof at the time and incorporated mechanized tobacco-handling equipment together with systems for humidifying, storing, and routing tobacco products. This infrastructure reflected the company's transition from a regional producer into a large-scale industrial manufacturer. The company experienced a major labor and manufacturing crisis during and immediately after the First World War. Waitt & Bond had recruited Belgian refugees, many of whom were skilled cigar workers and politically active members of the labor movement. Tensions developed with the local union over hiring, the introduction of machinery, tobacco weighing, production practices, and employment discipline. In July 1919, workers at Boston's major cigar factories went on strike. The following month Waitt & Bond announced that it would leave Boston for Newark, New Jersey. The Newark relocation changed the company's production model. Waitt & Bond shifted from predominantly hand production to machine manufacturing and resumed production approximately six months after the strike began. The move and mechanization substantially increased output and placed the company closer to important distribution routes. The resulting production capacity helped it pursue a national market, while its manufacturing decision contributed to a broader industry shift: by the middle of the 1920s, most large cigar manufacturers were using or testing machinery. From 1929 to 1939, Waitt & Bond operated as a subsidiary of Porto Rican American Tobacco. The company later returned to a more independent position within the cigar industry, with a 1938 announcement concerning its separation from tobacco companies including Porto Rican American Tobacco Companies and Congress Cigar Company. Its later expansion included the acquisition of the cigar-making assets of the D. Emil Klein Company in 1955 and the purchase of Alles & Fisher, Inc. in 1961. These transactions added manufacturing capacity and brands, including JA, '63, and Pippin. Management changed several times after the Second World War. Harley W. Jefferson, who had succeeded William E. Waterman in 1943 after serving in tobacco administration during wartime, stepped down as president in 1956 but continued as a director and consulting chairman. Thomas A. Hansbury, previously the company's secretary-treasurer, became president. After Hansbury's resignation in 1962, chairman Edward Rapaport temporarily assumed his responsibilities, and Fred A. Roff Jr., formerly president of Colt's Manufacturing Company, became president in 1964. Waitt & Bond moved its headquarters from Newark to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1963. In June 1964, shareholders approved a name change to Blackstone Cigar Co., reflecting the commercial prominence of the Blackstone line. The renamed company continued for several years but closed in 1969. Waitt & Bond is therefore chiefly remembered for its role in the industrialization of American cigar manufacturing, its large Boston factory, its relocation and mechanization after the 1919 strike, and the Blackstone brand that outlasted the original corporate identity.

Waitt & Bond was established in 1870 by Charles Henry Bond and Henry Waitt in Cliftondale, Saugus, Massachusetts. The founders began with a small cigar-making shop and built the business during a period when cigar consumption and manufacturing were expanding in the United States. The company later operated on Blackstone Street in Boston, where it introduced the Blackstone cigar in 1885. That product eventually became the company's defining commercial line. The manufacturer moved to a larger Boston facility on Endicott Street in 1891. Charles Henry Bond remained president and general manager until his death in 1908, after which William E. Waterman managed the company. In 1913, Waitt & Bond moved into a purpose-built factory at 716 Columbus Avenue. The plant contained automated equipment for tobacco handling and dedicated facilities for humidifying, storing, and routing materials. It was regarded as the largest cigar factory in the world operating under one roof, illustrating the company's scale before its later relocation. During the early years of the First World War, Waitt & Bond hired Belgian refugees who brought cigar-making expertise and, in some cases, socialist political affiliations. Relations with the local union deteriorated as the company sought to hire more workers and introduce machinery. The union also objected to tobacco weighing, changes to traditional cigar-shaping practices, and dismissals without union-committee approval. On July 7, 1919, workers at Boston's major cigar factories went on strike. On August 13, Waitt & Bond announced that it would leave Boston and move to Newark, New Jersey. The Newark transition marked a decisive change in production. Waitt & Bond replaced hand manufacturing with machine production and returned to operation roughly six months after the strike began. Mechanization allowed higher output and, together with Newark's more central distribution position, made a national market strategy more feasible. The company's move helped demonstrate the competitive value of machine production, and by 1924 most large cigar manufacturers were using or experimenting with similar technology. From 1929 to 1939, Waitt & Bond was a subsidiary of Porto Rican American Tobacco. In 1938, a separation from tobacco companies that included Porto Rican American Tobacco Companies and Congress Cigar Company was announced. William E. Waterman died in 1943 and was succeeded by Harley W. Jefferson, a veteran tobacco executive who had recently headed the tobacco section of the War Production Board. Jefferson resigned as president in 1956 at age 72 but remained associated with the company as a director and consulting chairman. Thomas A. Hansbury, formerly secretary-treasurer, then became president. The company pursued acquisitions in the postwar period. In 1955 it bought the cigar-making assets of D. Emil Klein Company, which became Demlein Corp. In 1961 it acquired Alles & Fisher, Inc., whose products included the JA, '63, and Pippin brands. These transactions broadened the company's product portfolio during a period when the American cigar market was becoming more industrialized and consolidated. Leadership changed again in the 1960s. Hansbury resigned in 1962, and chairman Edward Rapaport temporarily took over his duties. Fred A. Roff Jr., previously president of Colt's Manufacturing Company, was elected president in 1964. The corporate headquarters moved from Newark to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1963. In June 1964, shareholders approved changing the company's name to Blackstone Cigar Co., a decision that formalized the importance of the Blackstone brand. The renamed business closed in 1969, ending nearly a century of operations under the Waitt & Bond corporate identity and its successor name.

• 1969

  Operations end

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  The company closed after operating for approximately ninety-nine years.

• 1964

  Renamed Blackstone Cigar Co.

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  Shareholders approved a corporate name change to Blackstone Cigar Co.

• 1963

  Headquarters relocated to Scranton

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  The corporate headquarters moved from Newark, New Jersey, to Scranton, Pennsylvania.

• 1961

  Alles & Fisher acquired

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  Waitt & Bond purchased Alles & Fisher and its JA, '63, and Pippin cigar brands.

• 1955

  D. Emil Klein assets acquired

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired D. Emil Klein's cigar-making assets, later reorganized as Demlein Corp.

• 1919

  Boston strike and Newark relocation

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  A cigar-industry strike preceded the company's move from Boston to Newark and its transition to machine manufacturing.

• 1913

  Large Columbus Avenue factory opens

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  Waitt & Bond moved into a major factory at 716 Columbus Avenue with mechanized tobacco-handling and storage facilities.

• 1891

  Expansion to Endicott Street

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  The company moved to a larger factory on Endicott Street in Boston.

• 1885

  Blackstone brand launched

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  Waitt & Bond introduced Blackstone, which became its most famous and commercially important brand.

• 1870

  Company founded in Saugus

  [1]Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org

  Charles Henry Bond and Henry Waitt established the cigar manufacturer in Cliftondale, Saugus, Massachusetts.

A large American cigar manufacturer that evolved from a Boston regional producer into a nationally oriented, mechanized tobacco company. Its strongest market identity came from the Blackstone cigar brand.

• Cigar · 1885

  Blackstone

  Introduced by Waitt & Bond in 1885, Blackstone became the manufacturer's best-known cigar brand. Its commercial importance grew to the point that the company adopted the Blackstone Cigar Co. name in 1964. The brand represented the company's consumer-facing identity more strongly than the Waitt & Bond corporate name during its final years.

• Cigar

  JA

  JA was one of the cigar brands associated with Alles & Fisher, Inc. and entered the Waitt & Bond portfolio when the company acquired Alles & Fisher in 1961.

• Cigar

  '63

  '63 was an Alles & Fisher cigar brand acquired by Waitt & Bond in 1961. The available historical material identifies it as part of the acquired portfolio but does not provide additional product specifications.

• Cigar

  Pippin

  Pippin was among the cigar brands brought into Waitt & Bond's portfolio through its 1961 acquisition of Alles & Fisher, Inc.

• 1964

  Corporate renaming as Blackstone Cigar Co.Strategy

  Background

  Blackstone had become the company's most recognizable brand.

  Action taken

  Shareholders voted to replace the Waitt & Bond corporate name with Blackstone Cigar Co.

  Aftermath

  The business operated under the Blackstone name until it closed in 1969.

  Source

• 1919

  Relocation from Boston to NewarkStrategy

  Background

  A strike by workers at Boston's major cigar factories followed disputes over hiring, mechanization, production methods, and union authority.

  Action taken

  Waitt & Bond announced that it would leave Boston and establish production in Newark, New Jersey.

  Aftermath

  The company resumed production after about six months and used the Newark move to support machine manufacturing and wider national distribution.

  Source

• 1919

  Switch from hand production to machine manufacturingGeneration change

  Background

  Labor conflict accelerated a change that was also consistent with broader industrial trends in cigar manufacturing.

  Action taken

  After relocating to Newark, Waitt & Bond adopted machine-based cigar production.

  Aftermath

  Output increased, and the company's production model became an example followed or tested by other large cigar manufacturers.

  Source

1. 1Waitt & Bonden.wikipedia.org