Deere, John


Deere, John,

1804–86, American industrialist, manufacturer of agricultural implements, b. Rutland, Vt. He was one of the pioneers of the steel plowplow
or plough,
agricultural implement used to cut furrows in and turn up the soil, preparing it for planting. The plow is generally considered the most important tillage tool.
..... Click the link for more information.  industry. A blacksmith by trade, he established (1837) a shop at Grand Detour, Ill. There he was associated with Leonard Andrus in making (1837) the first Grand Detour steel plow. In 1843, Deere and Andrus formed a partnership for the manufacture of plows. The partnership was terminated in 1847, when Deere moved to Moline, Ill. There he established a factory that in time made other farm implements as well as plows and became known throughout the world. The firm was incorporated in 1868 as Deere and Company.

Deere, John

(1804–86) inventor, manufacturer; born in Rutland, Vt. He worked as a blacksmith until 1837, when he moved to Illinois. With a partner he designed a series of new plows; these sold modestly during the 1840s. On his own, he designed the first cast steel plow, a major advance that made it substantially easier for farmers to break and turn the heavy soil of the Great Plains. By 1855 his factory was selling more than 10,000 steel plows a year. He continued to manage Deere and Company, manufacturers of plows and other agricultural implements, until his last illness.