Landers, Frary & Clark

Landers, Frary & Clark was a housewares company based in New Britain, Connecticut. The firm traced its origins to 1842, when George M. Landers and Josiah Dewey entered into a partnership named Dewey and Landers, which manufactured various metal products. Eventually, the company was reorganized as Landers, Frary & Clark in 1862. The firm produced a variety of household products and appliances, including many electric appliances. Some of Landers, Frary & Clark's most successful products included the Universal Bread Maker, the Universal Food Chopper, and the Coffee Percolator. In 1965, the majority of the Landers, Frary & Clark was taken over by the J.B. Williams Company of New York, the food chopper division was acquired by the Union Manufacturing Company, and the electrical appliance operations was purchased by General Electric.

The company manufactured a wide variety of products over the years, food scales, coffee grinders, cake mixers, bread makers, coffee pots, percolators, tableware, irons, toasters, coffee urns, vacuum cleaners, electric ranges, washing machines, blenders, electric mixers, electric heaters, dishwashers, and electric blankets. Landers, Frary & Clark also produced stainless steel bull-nose rings, vacuum bottles, window hardware, ice skates, mouse traps, can openers, corkscrews, straight razors, aluminum cookware, and thousands of other products. Many of the company's items were marketed under the brand Universal.