Yankee Enterprise! The Houghtons of Massachussets and the Rise and Fall of ‘Corning Incorporated’, 1851-1871

Abstract

Corning Incorporated’s early history testifies to the difficulty of shifting from the commercial world of small proprietors to that of corporate manufacturers. The glorified and exceptional experiences of the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Rockefellers too often obscure the common and contributory efforts of small business owners like Corning’s Amory Houghton. Through the example of remarkable, yet less influential entrepreneurs, one can often better appreciate the underside of the country’s dynamic business history - the challenge of cash flow management, the threat of labor opposition, the complexity of new manufacturing technologies, the possibility of accidental disasters, and the rise of distant competition.