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The Evinrude Legacy

After Ole’s death, Ralph Evinrude took over as president of OMC. The loss of Ole was a huge blow to the company, but under Ralph’s leadership OMC became profitable once again. OMC’s chief rival, Johnson, had not come through the Great Depression as well as OMC had. By 1935 Johnson was bankrupt. Ralph Evinrude and Stephen Briggs decided to buy Johnson. They made it part of OMC. This new giant version of the company was by far the biggest producer of outboard motors in the world. Meanwhile, because of the success of OMC, many other outboard motor companies sprang up in Wisconsin and other parts of the Midwest. Most of them are no longer in business, but for many years, Wisconsin was one of the most important producers of outboard motors in the world.

This 1939 Elto Cub weighed only 8½ pounds and was called the “world’s lightest” outboard.

Some Important Wisconsin
Manufacturing Companies

Wisconsin was a leader in manufacturing in the twentieth century.

 

Company	What They Make
Johnson Controls	Auto parts, building controls, batteries
S.C. Johnson	Cleaning products and housewares
Harley-Davidson	Motorcycles
Rockwell Automation	Robots for factory work
Kohler Company	Sinks, bathtubs, toilets
Briggs & Stratton	Gas engines
Oshkosh Truck	Heavy trucks and military vehicles

OMC made a lot of money during World War II from the sale of motors and other products to the military. Business continued to boom after the war, and many Americans were becoming wealthy. People could now buy things that before had been luxuries, such as boats. By 1960, OMC was making nearly 400,000 outboard motors a year. They also made other products such as lawn mowers.

Ralph Evinrude led OMC until his retirement in 1982. By that time, the company had 9,000 employees and offices all over the world. Under Ralph’s leadership, the company grew into a major manufacturer and an important part of Wisconsin’s economy. Ralph himself became an important Milwaukee-area philanthropist. He gave money to many local arts and education organizations and hospitals. The Ralph Evinrude Foundation carries on that activity today. Ralph also married a movie star, Frances Langford. For many years, he was the owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. Ralph and Frances spent most of their retirement time in Florida. There they founded the Ralph Evinrude School of Marine Technology at the Florida Institute of Technology.

Evinrude motors helped to transport soldiers and equipment during World War II.

OMC made many products that had motors, like this Lawn-Boy lawn mower.

Ole Evinrude has been honored in many ways over the years. In 1981, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers honored the outboard motor as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. An early Evinrude outboard is on display at the world-famous Science Museum in London, England. Ole has been honored in the Norwegian American Hall of Fame and the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

Ralph Evinrude showing off one of the company’s 1954 models.

After decades of business success, OMC ran into trouble in the late 1990s. The company went bankrupt in 2000. The Evinrude and Johnson outboard motor lines were bought by a Canadian company called Bombardier Recreational Products the following year. Bombardier continues to honor the Evinrude name by producing high-quality motors. Some of their business is still based in Wisconsin. These new motors have a lot in common with the original design that Ole Evinrude came up with 100 years ago. Although the technology has improved and the company has changed, Ole would still be able to recognize his outboard motor today.

Ralph Evinrude, with his movie star wife Frances Langford, was inducted into the National Marine Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame in 1989. This is the official portrait.

A woman motors across a lake in a boat powered by an Evinrude Sportfour motor.

Friends enjoying a day on a lake in a motor boat.