HARRY FERGUSON LTD

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Scope and Content

Consists of correspondence 1933-1941; external agreements 1937-1938; patent agreements 1935; advertising and servicing agreements for companies including Ferguson-Sherman Inc, Evansville, Harry Ferguson Ltd, Huddersfield, David Brown Tractors Ltd (formerly Ferguson-Brown Ltd), Huddersfield, Harry Ferguson (Motors) Ltd, Belfast, Harry Ferguson Ltd, Coventry, Ford Motor Co Ltd, Dagenham, Ferguson Manufacturing Corp, Dearborn and Harry Ferguson Inc, Dearborn 1925-1952; house journals and technical bulletins 1937-1944; articles and photographs 1930's-1940's; speeches given by Harry Ferguson 1941-1944; testimonials 1937-1940

Administrative / Biographical History

Harry Ferguson was born at Growell, County Down, Northern Ireland on November 4th 1884. He started off by designing ploughs for tractors. In 1925 he formed Ferguson - Sherman Inc with Eber and George Sherman in Evansville, Indiana, USA. In 1932 Ferguson started designing a tractor based around his plough system. In 1936 he and David Brown formed Ferguson-Brown Ltd, later David Brown Tractors Ltd. A company Harry Ferguson Huddersfield Ltd was created to market Ferguson's new tractor but the marketing was not successful even after the company was dissolved and a new one formed in 1937. In 1938 Ferguson went to the USA to talk with Henry Ford and they came to an agreement. Back in England Ferguson parted company with David Brown. Production of the 'Ford Tractor with Ferguson SystemQ7uot; began in June 1939 and continued until 1947 when Ferguson and Ford parted company. When Ford produced a tractor which used a system virtually identical to the Ferguson system Ferguson took them to court in 1948. He won the court case but it took 4 years and he settled for less than he had hoped. In 1953 Ferguson and Massey Harris formed Massey-Harris-Ferguson but Ferguson resigned as Chairman and sold his shares in 1954. Harry Ferguson died on October 25th 1960.