Automatic Electric

Automatic Electric. It was a pioneering American telecommunications equipment manufacturer, founded by Almon Brown Strowger and instrumental in the development of automatic telephone switching. The company's most significant contribution was the invention and commercialization of the Strowger switch, the first widely adopted automatic telephone exchange system, which eliminated the need for human telephone operators. For much of the 20th century, it was a principal supplier to the Bell System's independent telephone company rivals and a major global exporter of switching technology.

History

The company was incorporated in 1892 as the Strowger Automatic Telephone Exchange in La Porte, Indiana, based on the patent of Almon Brown Strowger, a Kansas City undertaker. In 1901, seeking greater capital and manufacturing capacity, the company was reorganized and moved to Chicago, adopting the name Automatic Electric Company. Under the leadership of figures like Alexander E. Keith, the company refined the Strowger switch and began installing its first commercial exchanges for independent telephone companies, competing directly with the AT&T-controlled Bell System. A pivotal moment came in 1908 when it was acquired by the General Electric Company, providing crucial financial backing, though it continued to operate autonomously. Throughout the early and mid-20th century, it expanded internationally, establishing subsidiaries like Automatic Electric (Canada) and Automatic Electric Limited in the United Kingdom, and became a cornerstone of the General Telephone empire.

Products and technologies

The company's core product was the step-by-step Strowger switch, an electromechanical system using rotary dial pulses to directly control the connection path. This technology dominated the independent telephone industry for decades. Subsequent major developments included the #5 Crossbar switching system in the 1940s, a faster, more reliable electromechanical system. In the electronic era, Automatic Electric introduced the EAX (Electronic Automatic Exchange) family, transitioning from electromechanical to fully stored program control digital switches. The company also manufactured a vast range of telephones, key systems, and private branch exchange (PBX) equipment, such as the 1A2 key system, for business customers. Its research arm, Automatic Electric Laboratories, conducted pioneering work in telecommunications and solid-state electronics.

Corporate evolution and legacy

In 1955, the company's parent, General Telephone and Electronics (GTE), consolidated its manufacturing under the GTE Automatic Electric name. For decades, it served as the primary manufacturing arm of GTE, one of the largest independent telephone operators. The 1980s saw major industry consolidation; in 1984, GTE merged its telecommunications equipment business with AT&T Technologies, forming AT&T Network Systems. The Automatic Electric brand was subsequently phased out. Its technologies and personnel, however, flowed into subsequent entities like Lucent Technologies (spun off from AT&T in 1996) and, ultimately, Alcatel-Lucent and Nokia. The company's legacy is the foundational role its switching systems played in automating global telephone networks and servicing the vast Independent telephone company market across North America.

Notable installations

The first commercial installation of a Strowger exchange was in La Porte, Indiana in 1892. A major early victory was the installation of a large exchange in Chicago for the Chicago Telephone Company in 1903. The company equipped thousands of independent telephone company exchanges, such as those for General Telephone of California and Southern New England Telephone. Internationally, its equipment was deployed by the British Post Office, Telecom Australia, and the Japanese telecommunications network. Many of its #5 Crossbar and later EAX systems remained in service with GTE and other carriers well into the 1990s before being replaced by digital switches.

See also

* Strowger switch * Telephone exchange * GTE * Step-by-step switching * Independent telephone company * Almon Brown Strowger

Category:Telecommunications companies of the United States Category:Defunct telecommunications companies Category:Companies based in Chicago Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1892 Category:1892 establishments in Illinois