THOMAS A. EDISON - CORPORATE MINUTES SIGNED 09/22/1920 CO-SIGNED BY: GOVERNOR CHARLES EDISON, STEPHEN B. MAMBERT, HARRY F. MILLER, HOWARD H. ECKERT, CHARLES W. LUHR, WILLIAM DYKEMAN - HFSID 84389

APPROVING THE PURCHASE OF MAHOGANY AND OAK CABINETS FOR HIS PHONOGRAPHS
 
THOMAS A. EDISON, CHARLES EDISON and OTHERS. Typed DS: "Thos A Edison", "Charles Edison", "Stephen B. Mambert", "H F Miller", "H H Eckert", "Chas W. Luhr" (twice) and "Wm Dykeman" (twice), 2½p, 8¼x11 (front and verso). West Orange, N.J., 1920 September 22. Headed: "Minutes of a Meeting of the Board of Directors of Edison Phonograph Works". Authorization "for the purchase of 830 C-450 Filing Devices" at a cost of $10,500 and "authority to increase the quantities...with Wisconsin Cabinet & Panel Co...Merriam Cabinet Co...Level Furniture Co. and...Jamestown Mantel Co." are each signed by both CHARLES W. LUHR as Vice President & Works Manager and WILLIAM DYKEMAN as Vice President in charge of Purchases. Golden and Fumed Oak cabinets were being purchased from Wisconsin Cabinet & Panel, Mahogany cabinets from Level and English Brown Mahogany cabinets from Jamestown. Each of these three pages of company record is numbered, from 151-153 in an upper corner. The phonograph was Edison's favorite invention. The Edison Phonograph Works was formed on October 8, 1887, to market Edison's invention. He introduced the Improved Phonograph by May of 1888, shortly followed by the Perfected Phonograph. The Edison Phonograph Works also produced musical cylinders for coin-slot phonographs which some of the subsidiary companies had started to use. These were precursors of the jukebox. The inventor's son, CHARLES EDISON later served as FDR's Secretary of the Navy and Governor of New Jersey. STEPHEN B. MAMBERT, who had been named efficiency engineer of Thomas A. Edison, Inc. in 1915, served as a financial executive for Edison. HARRY F. MILLER 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. Ink slightly smudged at the "h" in Charles. Slightly creased, lightly soiled. ½-inch tear at lower margin of signature page (paper intact), lower right blank corner of signature page torn away. Paper strip affixed at blank left margin of both sheets. Slightly shaded at blank portions. Overall, fine condition.