More than 125 Years of Innovation
Honeywell's roots reach to 1885, when an inventor named Albert Butz patented the furnace regulator and alarm. He formed the Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator Co., Minneapolis, in April, 1886, and soon invented a device he called the "damper flapper” – an ingenious predecessor to the modern thermostat.
Meanwhile, in Wabash, Indiana...
In 1904, a young engineer named Mark Honeywell – from whom our name originated – was perfecting the heat generator as part of his plumbing and heating business. Two years later, he formed the Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. Incorporated, specializing in hot water heat generators.
In 1927, Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company and Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. merged to form the Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co., and became the largest producer of high-quality jeweled clocks. W. R. Sweatt became Chairman and Mark Honeywell became President. The company quickly grew as it began to tackle more challenges, including industrial controls and indicators.