The German-American Heritage Foundation of the USA has named former U.S. ambassador to Germany W.R. Timken, Jr as “The 2009 Distinguished German-American of the Year,” the group announced today.

The award provides “recognition for outstanding leadership by Americans of German-speaking ancestry in business, the arts, education, science, politics and society,” the Foundation said.

An Awards and Fundraising Gala will be held on October 3 in the capital.

For more details of the event and Timken's career, please click HERE for the GAHF's press release. 

Timken is a descendant of Bremen area-born Henry Timken, who in 1899 founded The Timken Roller Bearing Axle Company in St Louis, MO. Since the former ambassador's ancstors migrated from Bremerhaven to the United Sates in 1838, the tour of the German Emigration Center museum in Bremerhaven was of special importance to him, he said at the time.

A year before founding his company, Timken got a patent for the tapered roller bearing for which the company would become known.

At the time, Timken was a carriage-maker in St. Louis and held three patents for carriage springs. However, it was his patent for tapered roller bearings that allowed his company to become successful.

Tapered roller bearings were a breakthrough at the end of the 19th century because bearings used in wheel axles had not changed much since ancient times.

The company moved to Canton, OH in 1901 as the automobile industry began to overtake the carriage industry.
Timken chose this location because of its proximity to the major car manufacturing centers, and because it was close to the steel-making centers of Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Ray Harroun, winner of the first Indianapolis 500, rode into victory lanes with Timken Bearings for his axles.

In 1916, the company began its steel and pipe making operations in Canton to vertically integrate and have total control over the steel used in its bearings.

World War I created an increase in demand for steel, affecting its supply and price in the market. Poor quality steel from suppliers was another important issue, so the company felt the need to make its own steel to ensure the quality of its bearing products.

By the late 1990s, the steel-making operations were selling 80% of its output to outside customers, and the operations accounted for one-third of the company's total sales.

GAHF/Wikipedia/germerica