Dave Lennox
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An American inventor and businessman, Dave Lennox developed what has been described as the first riveted-steel furnace in 1895. His furnace design has been described as a significant step forward in durability and efficiency from the cast iron furnaces commonly in use at the time.
Born in Detroit, Michigan on April 15, 1855, Lennox was the son of a railroad mechanic. His family moved to Aurora, Illinois shortly before the American Civil War, where Lennox’ father enlisted in the Union Army. He was reported missing during the war and was never heard from again. The Lennox family moved to Chicago sometimes in the late 1860s, where Lennox’ mother ran a grocery store while he worked in various machine shops.
In July, 1881, Dave Lennox moved to Marshalltown, Iowa and started his own blacksmith and machine shop. Lennox designed a staple-cutting machine for Ed Sears, a local businessman, and also developed new designs for trowels, heavy-duty shears, and other tools.
In 1895, Ernest Bryant and Ezra Smith, two businessmen from Oskaloosa, Iowa, shared with Lennox their plans for a furnace using riveted steel for the heating surface. The furnaces used to heat homes at that time were made entirely of cast iron, which had a tendency to warp and crack after extended use and could cause smoke and coal gases to seep into houses. Bryant, Smith, and Lennox entered into an agreement in which Lennox made the iron castings used for the grates, fronts, and other parts of their steel furnaces. When Bryant and Smith were unable to pay Lennox for the iron castings after losing their financial backing, Lennox took over their patents and reworked their original design.
In 1904, Lennox sold his furnace business to a group of local Marshalltown businessmen, led by David Windsor (D.W.) Norris, a local business and civic leader and owner of the local newspaper. Norris began operating the company under the name "Lennox Furnace Company." The company grew across the country throughout the first half of the 20th century, expanded into the air conditioning industry in the early 1950s, and was renamed Lennox Industries. Expanding further into commercial refrigeration and international markets, Lennox Industries became Lennox International Inc. in 1984. After 95 years of private ownership by the Norris family, the company now known as Lennox International made its intial public offering in 1999 and is currently traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "LII."
Dave Lennox died at his home in Marshalltown in 1947, at the age of 92. Since 1972, actors have portrayed Dave Lennox in advertising campaigns for Lennox-branded air conditioners, furnaces, and indoor air quality products. He is currently portrayed by Bob Tibbets, a St. Louis-based actor and radio personality.
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Lennox's Dave Lennox Model
