THOMAS A. EDISON - CORPORATE MINUTES SIGNED 08/05/1925 CO-SIGNED BY: GOVERNOR CHARLES EDISON, HARRY F. MILLER, JOHN V. MILLER, HENRY LANAHAN, HOWARD H. ECKERT - HFSID 30678

THOMAS A. EDISON, CO-SIGNED BY:CHARLES EDISON , HARRY F. MILLER , JOHN V. MILLER , HENRY LANAHAN , HOWARD H. ECKERT
1925 corporate minutes - signed by Thomas Edison, his son Charles and officers of the Edison Phonograph Distributing Company - on merging the company with Edison Phonographs, Ltd.
Corporate Minutes signed "Charles Edison" as Chairman of the Board, "Thos A Edison", "Henry Lanahan", "H.F. Miller" as proxy of 3,195 shares of company stock and "J W. Robinson". 3 pages, 8x10¾, 2 sheets front and vero. West Orange, New Jersey, Aug. 5, 1925. Pages 183-186 of a Corporate Minutes book. Headed: "Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Stockholders of Edison Phonograph Distributing Company". The stockholders present at this meeting (3,200 shares total) passed a resolution that they would vote on merging the company with Edison Phonographs, Ltd. on July 25, 1925. The invention of the phonograph is attributed to Edison in 1877. Although Edison would later say the phonograph was one of his favorite inventions, he paid little attention to it for ten years, but then organized the Edison Phonograph Company (1887) and The Edison Phonograph Works (1888). In the decade of 1910-1920, the phonograph became a mass medium for popular music, and many companies, including Edison's, worked on improving the quality of the recording, making recordings on discs rather than the wax cylinders that Edison had first used (Edison had grudgingly began manufacturing disc records in 1912 after finally realizing that was what the public wanted). Edison also became involved in the aesthetics of his machine, purchasing the Wisconsin Cabinet and Panel Company to produce wooden cabinets for his phonograph in 1917. However, the presence of radio in the mid-1920s (which provided free music), combined with the economic depression, caused phonograph sales to decline, despite the increase in sales mentioned in this document. In the fall of 1920, less than two years after his company was able to offer a dividend, Edison, in the wake of the post-war economic downturn, initiated an "economy campaign" that led to the dismissal or resignation of several top managers and a drastic reduction in his manufacturing labor force. Edison then essentially disbanded his phonograph business, consolidating it into Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in 1924. CHARLES EDISON (1890-1969) was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Edison Phonograph Distributing Company and would later serve as FDR's Secretary of the Navy and governor of New Jersey. HARRY F. MILLER (1860-1950) began his association with the Edison laboratory in 1888, becoming Edison's private secretary (1908-1910). He was also assistant treasurer for the Edison Phonograph Works, the National Phonograph Company, the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Bates Manufacturing Company and became Treasurer of Thomas A Edison Inc. in 1916, serving until his retirement in 1937. JOHN V. MILLER was Thomas Edison's brother-in-law, his wife Mina's brother. LANAHAN was the General Counsel for Thomas Edison and his companies. Lightly toned and creased. Adhesive residue on left from corporate minutes book. Otherwise in fine condition.