John Henry Patterson was a very colorful personality, and he ran National Cash Register with a firm, autocratic hand. It was from him that we have the term "fire" to mean involuntary termination of employment. When Patterson decided to terminate one of his executives, he would send him on an all-expense-paid trip to Europe. When the executive returned to work following the trip, he would find his desk out under the flagpole, on fire. I used to work for NCR (formerly National Cash Register) and heard a number of anecdotes about the founder. Joe Patterson (no relation to John Henry) [email protected] [email protected] wrote: > John Henry Patterson {13 December 1844 - 7 May 1922}: manufacturer of cash > registers. Patterson was born near Dayton, Ohio, the son of Jefferson and > Julia Johnston Patterson. He grew up in a rural area, and attended Dayton > Central High School, then Miami University in Oxford, Ohio --- for one year. > He left in 1863 to enlist in the 131st Ohio Regiment, but never saw active > service. After the war he entered Dartmouth College {Hanover, New Hampshire}. > He was dissatisfied in College, and although he received his degree in 1867, > he thought his liberal education useless. For several years he floundered, > moving from one job to another. After several years as a coal merchant working > with his brothers, Patterson invested his entire savings in the National > Manufacturing Company of Dayton, which had just started making cash registers. > > Since the factory was doing very poorly, Patterson's brothers ridiculed him > for the investment. But he had finally, at forty, found a use for his broad > college education; psychology, philosophy, mathematics---all were useful; he > took over the company and bankrolled it into the famous National Cash > Register. Patterson became interested in the machine as well as the company, > and developed many improvements in its structure. After the first few years > with the company, however, he left the technical matters to the expert > mechanics, and took over the sales department----where he again became > interested in development. He employed many novel advertising devices, > including sales conventions, educational programs for his salesmen, > commissions for high sales performance, and direct--mail promotion. {He was > one of the first to depend heavily on direct--mail.} Patterson was also a > pioneer in employee relations; he established many health and welfare measures > to protect his workers, including the development of a factory school for > education and entertainment, generous insurance benefits, and the creation of > playgrounds and gardens in the area surrounding the factory. Patterson was > married on 18 December 1888 to Katherine Beck, and had two children. He died > while on a trip to Atlantic City.