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 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.

Moses Bensinger
Moses Bensinger, 1896 portrait
Born	(1839-08-17)August 17, 1839 Louisville, Kentucky
Died	October 14, 1904(1904-10-14) (aged 65) French Lick, Indiana
Resting place	Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois
Nationality	American
Occupation	Merchant, salesman, manufacturer, business leader
Years active	1859–1904
Spouse(s)	Eleanora Brunswick

1888 Brunswick-Balke-Collender company factory on State Street in downtown Chicago

Bensinger was also an innovator of billiard table design and manufacture.

Early life

Bensinger was born August 17, 1839, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was the son of Nathan and Lena Bensinger. Bensinger went to Louisville public schools while a child. Upon graduation, he apprenticed to a jeweler. He started his own jewelry business in 1859.[1]

Mid life

Bensinger became an employee of Brunswick, a manufacturer of billiard and pool tables, in 1869. Brunswick's headquarters for his business was in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he had a branch office in Chicago. Bensinger, Brunswick and a couple of 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. This competitive company, owned by Julius Balke, had factories in Cincinnati and St. Louis, Missouri. On July 8, 1879, the new merged company formed was incorporated and called Brunswick & Balke Company.[2] The incorporators were Brunswick, Bensinger, Julius Balke Sr., A. F. Troescher and Leo Schmidt.[3] 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 bowling manufacturing in 1888 and Bensinger was made president of this new company in 1890.[4][5][6]

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.[7][8][9] Bensinger helped coordinate and was the prominent figure in bringing about the initial organized set of rules and regulations for the sport of modern ten-pin bowling.[7][10][11][12][13][14] He started then to make bowling balls and pins for new bowling alleys.[8] His company also made the bowling lanes for these alleys.[8] The first commercial regulation ten-pin bowling alley licensed was installed at the Plaza Hotel in north Chicago (Clark Street) in 1891.[15][16] Bensinger sponsored traveling all-star bowling teams, managed by William V. Thompson, proprietor of the Plaza Bowling Alley, to promote Brunswick bowling products.[16] Within two decades there were over two hundred commercial regulation ten-pin bowling alleys in Chicago alone.[17]

American Bowling Congress

Main article: United States Bowling Congress

Bensinger, Brunswick's German-Jewish son-in-law, was influential in setting up the American Bowling Congress (A.B.C.) in 1895.[8][9][17][18][19][20] On September 9, 1895, the A.B.C. was officially formed as a permanent organization at Beethoven Hall on east Fifth Street in New York City.[21][22] The A.B.C. 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.[23] The new organization took effect officially on October 15, 1895.[24] The basic organization was a legislative body that enforced uniform bowlers' rules and regulations,[25][26][27] through a set of by-laws and a constitution of Articles,[28] for all in the United States to follow as the official standard for ten-pin bowling.[29][30][31][32] The organization, since incorporated into the United States Bowling Congress, standardized and still governs all bowling equipment for modern ten-pin bowling.[33]

Family

Bensinger married Eleanora Brunswick, the daughter of John M. Brunswick, in 1867.[34] They had two daughters, Cora and Edna, and one son, Benjamin Edward.[35] Bensinger's son Benjamin became president of the Brunswick-Blake-Collender company upon his death.[36] 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.[36][37]

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.[1][38] The cause of death was heart failure.[39] His remains are interred at Rosehill Cemetery.[40]

Billiard table manufacturing

Bensinger experimented and researched improved billiard tables and gear,[41] leading to significant patents for rubber bumpers and other innovations.[42][43] 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.[44] He was involved in setting up tournaments for establishments that had his billiard tables and issued cash prizes and trophies.[45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52]

Clubs and associations

Bensinger was a member of the Lakeside and Washington Park clubs, and of the Chicago Athletic Association.[1] Bensinger was a Turner as a member of the Chicago German-American gymnastic club.[17] He was a member and on the executive board of the Chicago Sinai Congregation.[53] Bensinger was one of the original 1869 members of The Standard Club, which is predominately Jewish.[54] He was involved with its new 1889 club-house building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, since the original building burned down.[55] Bensinger was its president from 1889 through 1893.[56]

Bensinger was known as a business negotiator to settle disputes between management and labor.[57] He was recognized as being affable, practical, far-sighted, progressive and democratically inclined in his dealing with workers.[1][58][59] 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.[40]

References

Citations

1. National Cyclopaedia 1910, p. 294.
2. "Severe Storms". Cincinnati Daily Star. Cincinnati, Ohio. July 8, 1879 – via Newspapers.com .
3. "Brunswick & Balke Company". The Cincinnati Daily Star. Cincinnati, Ohio. July 8, 1879 – via Newspapers.com .
4. Lukas, Paul; Overfelt, Maggie (2003). "Brunswick – When it Comes to the Pastimes of Bowling and Billiards, This Company Has Long Defined the Games People Play". CNN Money. Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
5. "Brunswick Corporation History". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
6. "John M. Brunswick". The Pillar of Achievement. International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. 1996. Archived from the original on March 29, 2015.
7. Cayton 2006, p. 881.
8. Jones 2012, p. 66.
9. Riess & Gems 2009, p. 13.
10. "St. Paul Against Chicago". The Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. March 3, 1895 – via Newspapers.com .
11. "International Directory of Company Histories". "Brunswick Corporation". Encyclopedia.com. 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016. In the 1880s Bensinger added another product line, bowling pins and bowling balls. Taverns had begun installing lanes, interest seemed to be growing, and Bensinger was determined to be ready for this new market. He actively promoted bowling as a participatory sport and helped to standardize the game. Bensinger also was instrumental in organizing the American Bowling Congress in 1895.
12. Rapoport 2001, p. 237.
13. St. James Press 2006, p. 70.
14. "Brunswick Corporation – Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Brunswick Corporation". Adameg, Inc. 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2016. Bensinger was determined to be ready for this new market. He actively promoted bowling as a participatory sport and helped to standardize the game.
15. Vierow 1938, p. 59.
16. Gems 2009, p. 13.
17. Pfister 2013, p. 47.
18. Mitchell 2001, p. 401.
19. Martin & Lehman 1994, p. 298.
20. Cayton, Andrew R. L., Editor; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris. The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 26, 2016. In 1895, Moses Bensinger of the Brunswick Company founded the primarily mid-western American Bowling Congress.
21. Bunyan 2010, p. 164.
22. "New Rules for Bowlers". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. September 10, 1895 – via Newspapers.com .
23. "American Bowling Congress". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. December 30, 1895 – via Newspapers.com .
24. "Bowlers leave today for Buffalo Congress". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. January 19, 1902 – via Newspapers.com .
25. Belsky 2016, p. 190.
26. "American Bowling Congress / It will introduce uniform playing Rules throughout the country". St. Louis Dispatch. St. Louis. January 22, 1896 – via Newspapers.com .
27. "A.B.C. Institutes Tourney Reforms". Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. January 1, 1911 – via Newspapers.com .
28. "A Bowling Congress". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. January 14, 1896 – via Newspapers.com .
29. Schmidt 2007, p. 4.
30. Grasso & Hartman 2014, p. 27.
31. "New Bowling Rules". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. October 12, 1895 – via Newspapers.com .
32. "BOWLING". Harrisburg Telegraph. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. January 19, 1945 – via Newspapers.com .
33. Rotary International 1960, p. 57.
34. Haller 2001, p. 132.
35. "Moses Bensinger Estate Bequeathed To Family". Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. October 26, 1904 – via Newspapers.com .
36. Marquis 1911, p. 56.
37. "Bensinger Heads B.B.C." Kingsport Times. Kingsport, Tennessee. March 17, 1931 – via Newspapers.com .
38. "Heart Failure Causes Death". Marble Rock Journal. Marble Rock, Iowa. October 20, 1904 – via Newspapers.com .
39. "Heart Failure". Daily News-Democrat. Huntington, Indiana. October 15, 1904 – via Newspapers.com .
40. "Death of Moses Bensinger". International Wood Worker. The Amalgamated-Woodworkers Union. 14 (10): 435–436. October 1904. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
41. "Improvement in combined billiard and dining table". Google Patents. U.S. Government Patent Office. January 7, 1879. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
42. "Important Events". Brunswick Billiards. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
43. "Portraits of Chicago". Chicago Billiard Museum. Archived from the original on 2016-08-19. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
44. "Billards". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. March 9, 1880 – via Newspapers.com .
45. "Billiards for Ducats". Ottawa Daily Republie. Ottawa, Kansas. December 1, 1885 – via Newspapers.com .
46. "Won by a Scratch". Cincinnati. Cincinnati, Ohio. July 6, 1878 – via Newspapers.com .
47. "Schaeffer the LevenworthBoy, Matched Against Sexton". Atchison Daily Champion. Atchison, Kansas. June 16, 1878 – via Newspapers.com .
48. "Billiard Match". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. May 13, 1884 – via Newspapers.com .
49. "Big Billiard Event Planned for C.A.A." Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. November 15, 1903 – via Newspapers.com .
50. "Will Leave It A Tie". Saint Paul Globe. Saint Paul, Minnesota. November 24, 1885 – via Newspapers.com .
51. "Some Square Propositions which may result in a Tournament". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis, Missouri. December 30, 1886 – via Newspapers.com .
52. "Billiards for Ducats". Parsons Daily Sun. Parsons, Kansas. December 3, 1885 – via Newspapers.com .
53. JSTOR 23600043 Directory of Local Organizations, The American Jewish Year Book, Vol 1 (September 5, 1899 to September 23, 1900) – page 127
54. "The Standard Club". The Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. March 9, 1890 – via Newspapers.com .
55. "Elegance and Luxury". The Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. February 22, 1889 – via Newspapers.com .
56. "At The Standard". Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. October 22, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
57. "The Demands of the Funitureworkers". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 22, 1886 – via Newspapers.com .
58. "Walkout leads to Open Shops". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. July 4, 1905 – via Newspapers.com .
59. "Labor in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. April 9, 1886 – via Newspapers.com .

Sources

• Belsky, Gary (19 April 2016). On the Origins of Sports: The Early History and Original Rules of Everybody's Favorite Games. Artisan. ISBN 978-1-57965-712-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bunyan, Patrick (1 November 2010). All Around the Town: Amazing Manhattan Facts and Curiosities. Fordham Univ Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-3174-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Cayton, Andrew R. L. (8 November 2006). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-00349-0. In 1895, Moses Bensinger of the Brunswick Company founded the primarily midwestern American Bowling Congress.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Gems, Gerald R. (January 2009). The Chicago Sports Reader. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-07615-2. Moses Bensinger, the heir to Brunswick, was bowling's biggest supporter. He pushed the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company in the 1890s to manufacturer bowling equipment, hired traveling all-star teams to promote his products, and in 1895 helped organize the American Bowling Congress (ABC).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Haller, Charles R. (1 January 2001). German-American Business Biographies: High Finance and Big Business. Money Tree Imprints. ISBN 978-0-9703748-1-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Grasso, John; Hartman, Eric R. (7 August 2014). Historical Dictionary of Bowling. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8108-8022-1.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Jones, Jenny M. (15 September 2012). The Big Lebowski: An Illustrated, Annotated History of the Greatest Cult Film of All Time. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4279-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Marquis, Albert Nelson (1911). The Book of Chicagoans: A Biographical Dictionary of Leading Living Men of the City of Chicago, 1911. A.N. Marquis.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Martin, Susan Boyles; Lehman, Jeffrey (1 November 1994). Notable Corporate Chronologies. Gale Group. ISBN 978-0-8103-9217-5. 1895 Sept – A group of bowlers and proprietors, organized and headed by Bensinger, meet to discuss the standardization of bowling rules and regulations, thereby forming the American Bowling Congress.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Mitchell, Julie A. (2001). Notable Corporate Chronologies: A-K. Detroit, Michigan: Gale Group. ISBN 978-0-7876-5050-6. A group of bowlers and proprietors, organized and headed by Bensinger, meet to discuss the standardization of bowling rules and regulations, thereby forming the American Bowling Congress (ABC).CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• National Cyclopaedia (1910). Moses Bensinger. National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. J. T. White Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Pfister, Gertrud (18 October 2013). Gymnastics, a Transatlantic Movement: From Europe to America. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-96542-8. Moses Bensinger since the 1870s, engineered mergers with business rivals and orchestrated the founding of the ABC, which standardized rules and equipment.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Rapoport, Ron (1 October 2001). Chicago: City in the Spotlight. Towery Pub. ISBN 978-1-881096-95-5. Bensinger was a founding member of the American Bowling Congress (ABC), and he campaigned eloquently for a national bowling championship. His vision became a reality in 1901, when the first ABC tournament was held in Chicago.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Riess, Steven A.; Gems, Gerald R. (20 February 2009). The Chicago Sports Reader: 100 Years of Sports in the Windy City. Sport and Society Series (1st ed.). Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. p. 13. ISBN 9780252076152.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Rotary International (March 1960). The Rotarian. Rotary International. ISSN 0035-838X.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Schmidt, Doug (2007). They Came to Bowl: How Milwaukee Became America's Tenpin Capital. Wisconsin Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87020-387-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• St. James Press (2006). International Directory of Company Histories. ISBN 978-1-55862-581-5. Bensinger also was instrumental in organizing the American Bowling Congress in 1895.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Vierow, Howard L. (1938). The Chicago Recreation Survey, 1937. Chicago Recreation Commission and Northwestern University. The first regulation bowling alley in the city of Chicago was installed in 1891 in the Plaza Hotel, situated at Clark Street and North Avenue.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

External links

• Moses Bensinger at Find a Grave
• Chicago Billiard Museum
• American billiards