In 1895 the W. H. Elliott Co. was reorganized as the Elliott-Lincoln Electric Co. with John C. Lincoln as president. They produced a D. C. motor that Lincoln had designed. It was a short-lived association as the Panic of 1895 forced him out of the firm. He went on to design a motor for Herbert Dow, founder of the Dow Chemical Co. and with the $200 that he received for this commission, he founded the Lincoln Electric Co.

John C. Lincoln was also a principal in a separate company called the Lincoln Electric Manufacturing Co., which was founded in 1905 by Reuben & Charles Hitchcock, who were the sons of John Lincoln’s cousin, Peter Hitchcock. It was reorganized in 1907 as the Lincoln Motor Works. In 1906, Lincoln sold out his interest in this company for $25,000. Lincoln Motor Works concentrated on the manufacture of D. C. motors and generators while Lincoln Electric Co. manufactured A. C. equipment.

Lincoln Electric Co. was listed as an Electric Motor manufacturer in 1921. They were located at East 38th Street & Kelley Avenue, Cleveland, OH.

In 2000, the company completed the sale of its motor business to the Marathon Division of Regal-Beloit Corp. who had bought Lincoln Electric Corp. motor division in 1999. Regal transferred Lincoln to Leeson in 2006.

When Marathon bought Lincoln Electric, the product was transferred to a new plant in Blythesville, AR mostly, with Wausau supplying lamination stamping using their presses. Smaller product was transferred to various plants, and Cast iron product was transferred to Wausau. Just before Christmas, 2018, the Blytheville plant was closed and product transferred to Wausau (rolled steel frames and 400 HZ DOD generators) and smaller product transferred to Monterey, MX.

Welding equipment is outside the scope of this web site. Please do not upload pictures of welders.

Information Sources

• The American Century of John C. Lincoln, by Raymond Moley, 1962 pgs 41 & 42
• EMF electrical year book, Volume 1, 1921 page 485
• Our thanks to Joe C. Davis for information about Marathon's purchase of this company.