Maytag Co. - Specimen Stock Certificate - American Home & Commercial Appliance Company

Specimen Stock printed by Columbian Co., Chicago. Available in Green, Orange, Blue or Brown. Please specify color.

The Maytag Corporation, an American home and commercial appliance company, has been under the ownership of Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006. Founded in 1893 by businessman Frederick Maytag, the Maytag Washing Machine Company later became Maytag, Inc. in 1925. Frederick’s son, Elmer Henry Maytag, served as president from 1926 until his passing in 1940.

During the early 1930s, photographer Theodor Horydczak documented the company’s plant and its workers. Notably, Maytag managed to remain profitable during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

In 1938, Maytag provoked strikes by its workers due to a 10% pay cut. However, the company successfully countered the strike with the intervention of four military companies, including a machine gun company, from the 113th Cavalry Regiment, Iowa National Guard.

Fred Maytag II, grandson of the founder, succeeded his father as president upon his death in 1940. During World War II, Maytag played a role in war production by manufacturing specialized components for military equipment. After the war, production of washing machines resumed in 1946, and the first automatic washers were produced in a dedicated factory in 1949.

In 1946, Maytag expanded its product line by introducing a separate line of ranges and refrigerators manufactured by other companies under the Maytag brand. During the Korean War, the company continued producing parts for military equipment while maintaining washing-machine production.