Moses Bensinger

Moses Bensinger (August 17, 1839 – October 14, 1904) was an American merchant and manufacturer. He was president of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company from 1890 until his death in 1904. He was the instigator and organizer of the conglomerate of the manufacturer of billiard and pool tables when it was initially formed in 1884. The manufacture of bowling equipment as an additional business came about in 1888.

He helped found the American Bowling Congress, which set in place a legislative body to establish the rules and regulations used in modern ten-pin bowling. It is a set of by-laws and a constitution of Articles for all in the United States to follow. It has since been incorporated into the United States Bowling Congress and going into the twenty-first century governs all bowling equipment to make as a common standard.

He was also an innovator of billiard table design and manufacture leading to significant patents for rubber bumpers and other innovations related to the game. He was involved in setting up tournaments for establishments that used his billiard tables that he manufactured.

Early life

Bensinger was born August 17, 1839, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was the son of Nathan and Lena Bensinger and went to Louisville public schools while a child. Upon graduation, he apprenticed to a jeweler and later in 1859 started his own jewelry business.

Mid life

Bensinger became an employee of John M. Brunswick, a manufacturer of billiard and pool tables, in 1869 and gave up the jewelry business at that time. Brunswick's headquarters for his business was in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he had a branch office in Chicago. Bensinger, Brunswick and others formed the J. M. Brunswick Billiard Manufacturing Company in October 1872. Bensinger became a vice president and was general manager in charge of the Chicago branch. In January 1874 the Brunswick Company merged with a rival firm and Bensinger engineered the merger. This company, owned by Julius Balke, had factories in Cincinnati and St. Louis, Missouri. On July 8, 1879, the company was incorporated and called Brunswick & Balke Company. The incorporators were Brunswick, Bensinger, Julius Balke Sr., A. F. Troescher and Leo Schmidt. This company then merged in 1884 with another manufacturer of billiard and pool tables run by Hugh W. Collender. The name then became Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. Bensinger was the motivating force in bringing about this conglomerate. Brunswick died in 1886. The company extended its business into manufacturing wooden bowling lanes, bowling balls, and pins in 1888. Bensinger was made president of this new company in 1890.

Bowling in 1890 was a disorganized sport with no rules or regulations, played mostly by Germans in dimly lit Chicago saloons and basements of buildings. Bensinger helped standardize bowling game apparatus, like width of alleys, type of ball bowled, and size of pins with its layout. He was the prominent figure in bringing about the initial organized set of rules and regulations for the sport of modern ten-pin bowling. The first commercial regulation ten-pin bowling alley licensed was installed at the Plaza Hotel in north Chicago ( Clark Street) in 1891. Bensinger sponsored traveling all-star bowling teams, managed by William V. Thompson, proprietor of the Plaza Bowling Alley, to promote Brunswick bowling products. Within two decades there were over two hundred commercial regulation ten-pin bowling alleys in Chicago alone.

American Bowling Congress

On September 9, 1895, the ABC was officially formed as a permanent organization at Beethoven Hall on east Fifth Street in New York City. The ABC had their first formal annual meeting four days later on September 13 at the Elephant club on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and adopted the proposed constitution and by-laws. The new organization took effect officially on October 15, 1895. The basic organization was a legislative body that enforced uniform bowlers' rules and regulations, through a set of by-laws and a constitution of Articles, for all in the United States to follow as the official standard for ten-pin bowling.

The first national bowling competition sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress was in 1901. The highest per-game average scores for individual competition was 216, for doubles was 200, and for five-man teams was 181. — F. Brill (Chicago) scored highest in the individual competition (averaging 216/game); Voorhees and Starr (New York) scored highest in doubles (averaging 200/game), and the Standard Bowling Club of Chicago scored highest among five-man teams (averaging 181/game). A protest was filed against the highest-scoring doubles team, alleging use of a ball that was a quarter-inch larger in circumference than permitted by ABC regulations. The ABC organization has since incorporated into the United States Bowling Congress, standardized and still governs all bowling equipment for modern ten-pin bowling.

Diamond robbery

Bensinger was wealthy and owned a considerable amount of jewelry. He was robbed of $16,000 () worth of diamonds in 1887 that was kept at his place of business in a safe. Detectives found clues that had been left by the robbers, but in spite of a promise for a large a reward for the return of the diamonds, they were not recovered. Bensinger then published a personal ad about the diamond robbery with a $2500 () reward for the return of the diamonds – no questions asked. Several days later he received a letter, the start of communications that involved many letters, all in different hand writing. This led him to believe there were several accomplices involved in the robbery. Through the communications, he arranged a meeting with his agent at a downtown Chicago bank with a representative of those involved. The terms of the deal was that the representative was to get a check for $2500 for the return of the diamonds. Bensinger's agent was met by a young man who had a package that he handed over. The package contained the missing diamonds completely intact, but the young man refused to accept the $2500 reward, as that was his instruction, he told Bensinger's agent.

Bensinger then began to receive threatening letters that demanded $5,000 () or his house would be burned down and he would be killed. He also received these same threats by telephone, spoken in a soft deep bass voice. The telephone message also told Bensinger that if he did not comply immediately that a bomb would detonate and kill everyone at his daughter's wedding. He hired detectives to investigate and they soon discovered the identity of the culprit. It was an office boy and with an accomplice who had hidden the diamonds in a vault. Later the thief moved the diamonds and buried them in the ground until they returned them. The thief and his accomplice were never identified. Investigation showed that likely it was one of four or five employees of Bensinger that was the thief, as they had access to Bensinger's business safe and the diamonds. Ultimately Bensinger paid the thief $5,000 for the safe return of the diamonds.

Family

Bensinger married Eleanora Brunswick, the daughter of Brunswick, on May 16, 1865. They had two daughters, Cora and Edna, and one son, Benjamin Edward. Bensinger sponsored an elaborate wedding for his daughter Cora when she got married in 1887, that consisted of 250 guests. Bensinger's son Benjamin became president of the Brunswick-Blake-Collender company upon his death. Benjamin's son Robert took over in 1931, making him the third generation of the Bensinger family to hold the office as the company's president.

Billiard table manufacturing

Bensinger experimented and researched improved billiard tables and gear, leading to significant patents for rubber bumpers and other innovations. In 1880 Bensinger, as part owner of J. M. Brunswick & Balke Company, set up a branch in San Francisco for manufacturing billiard tables, making his company the only American coast-to-coast manufacturer and distributor of these tables. He was involved in setting up tournaments for establishments that used his billiard tables and issued cash prizes and trophies.

Clubs and associations

Bensinger was a member of the Lakeside and Washington Park clubs, and of the Chicago Athletic Association. Bensinger was a Turner as a member of the Chicago German-American gymnastic club. He was a member and on the executive board of the Chicago Sinai Congregation. Bensinger was one of the original 1869 members of The Standard Club, which is predominately Jewish. He was involved with its new 1889 club-house building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, since the original building burned down. Bensinger was its president from 1889 through 1893.

Bensinger was known as a business negotiator to settle disputes between management and labor. He was recognized as being affable, practical, far-sighted, progressive and democratically inclined in his dealing with workers. He signed the first agreement with a predecessor of the Amalgamated-Woodworkers Union, which led to a harmonious and productive relationship between union and management.

Later life and death

Bensinger held the position of president of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company from 1890 until his death. He died in French Lick, Indiana, on October 14, 1904. The cause of death was heart failure. His remains are interred at Rosehill Cemetery. Bensinger left an estate valued at $750,000 () and most went to his family and relatives. Several bequests of $1,000 ( each went to his brothers and sisters. To his children were given 40 shares each of the capital stock of Brunswick, Baike, and Collender company, worth $1,000 a share. The bequest to his daughter Edna provided that executors retain the principal until they felt it was the correct time to give her the entire bequest. Until that time she was to get the net income from the stock. This was set up like this by Bensinger because of Edna's unusually free and open handed disposition that scarified care and concern to herself. His surviving wife and his son were the executors.

References

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External links

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Chicago Billiard Museum

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bensinger, Moses
1839 births
1904 deaths
19th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American businesspeople
American business executives
American company founders
American manufacturing businesspeople
American merchants
Businesspeople from Louisville, Kentucky