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Collection Overview
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The records in this collection are business correspondence files, financial records, and legal documents falling in the period 1927 to 1954. These documents were found mingled with the records of another defunct Rockford business, the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company. There appears, however, to have been no formal connection between Rockford Chair and National Chair. These records, used in concert with other Center manuscript material collections and printed sources, offer a value and unique insight on one of Rockford’s most important industries during a period when the manufacture of furniture almost disappeared from the city.
Collection Historical Note
Winfield L. Anderson, Gilbert W. Johnson, C. Amos Stockhus, M.A. Kjellgren, Frank I. Johnson, Alfred A. Carlson, and John H. Lindblade organized the National Chair Company on July 11, 1927 with a capitalization of $100,000. During the first few years of its existence, the National Chair Company contracted with eight Rockford furniture factories to supply chairs: included among these customers was the Rockford Chair and Furniture Company (RC 42). By 1942 due to restrictions of material, the attitudes of government toward production of consumer goods and competition with the machine shops for local labor, the National Chair Company seriously considered dissolving manufacturing operations. In 1943, the board of directors agreed to sell a part of the premises and plant to the Commercial Platers and Manufacturers, Inc. On May 28, 1954, the stockholders of the National Chair agreed to liquidate the assets of the business and dissolve the corporation.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Northern Illinois University
Accruals:
Mr. Stanley Kjellgren supplemented the collection by donating the National Chair corporate record book on May 3, 1979.
Access Restrictions:
There are no restrictions on access to the collection.
Use Restrictions:
Property rights in the collection are held by the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.
Acquisition Source:
Mr. Harry West
Acquisition Method:
Mr. Harry West of Rockford, Illinois, donated the records of the National Chair Company to the Regional History Center on October 24, 1978.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[
Box 2],
[
Volume 1-4: Business account books, 1927-1951],
[
All]
- Box 1
- Folder 1-23: National Chair Company, correspondence: incoming, alphabetical, 1936-1943
Regional History Center 
