A. Atwater Kent

Lore & Background

Arthur Atwater Kent Sr. began his career in the back room of his father's machine shop in Worcester, Massachusetts, running the Kent Electric Manufacturing Company. He sold small electric motors, generators, fans, and automobile ignition systems. In 1905, he invented the Unisparker, which combined ignition points, condenser, centrifugal advance mechanism, and distributor in one unit—a system used in virtually every automobile until the 1970s. In 1921, he patented the modern form of the automobile ignition coil.

Kent produced his first radio components in 1921, selling do-it-yourself breadboard kits. The firm began producing complete radio sets in 1923, introducing the Model 10 for Christmas that year. In 1924, the company moved to a new $2 million plant in Philadelphia that eventually covered 32 acres. At its peak in 1929, the company employed over 12,000 workers manufacturing nearly one million radio sets. Models included the metal-cabinet seven-tube Model 57 at $105 and the wooden-cabinet eight-tube Model 60 at $80.

The onset of the Great Depression diminished demand for Atwater Kent's expensive sets. The company adjusted by building smaller tabletop models, but Kent would not compromise on quality. Expiration of patents on the superheterodyne circuit allowed new firms to enter the market easily. Kent dissolved his design engineering facility in 1931 and shuttered his radio factory in 1936. Philco acquired the closed plant and built refrigerators there.

Reader's Guide

Atwater Kent radios were of high quality, and many working examples exist today, highly prized by collectors and restorers. Their wooden cabinets were made by the Red Lion and Pooley furniture companies; some models looked more like furniture than radios, and others had multiple functions, such as a radio housed inside a grandfather clock. The company sponsored The Atwater Kent Hour, a top-rated radio concert music program heard on NBC and CBS from 1926 to 1934, which became one of the most popular and acclaimed regular radio programs of the era.

Kent's legacy extends beyond radio manufacturing. In 1937, he helped organize and pay for the restoration of the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia. In 1938, he helped found the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia by purchasing the original home of the Franklin Institute and donating it to the city. He was awarded the John Scott Medal of The Franklin Institute in 1914 and was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia's Hall of Fame in 1992. His inventions, including the Unisparker and the modern automobile ignition coil, had lasting impact on the automotive industry.

Did You Know?

• Atwater Kent invented the Unisparker in 1905, combining ignition points, condenser, centrifugal advance, and distributor in one unit.
• Kent helped found the Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia in 1938 by donating the original home of the Franklin Institute to the city.