William Fisher (1856-1906)

Born in England in 1856. Emigrated with his family to the USA, aged 14, settling in Iowa.

As a young man his work involved steam and water supply systems.

At the age of 24, during a major fire in Marshalltown, Iowa, Fisher had to control the city's steam-driven pumps, manually regulating the steam supply over a long period to maintain steady pressure in the city's mains. He subsequently focused his attention on means of automatically controlling pumps and maintain a constant pressure. After months of experiments, he designed the Fisher Type 1 constant pressure pump governor.

In partnership with a machinist, Fisher bought a workshop, and was producing pumps in 1880.

By 1888 the business was incorporated as the Fisher Governor Company.

After Fisher died in 1906 (1905?) his widow, Martha, took his place as president, and their son Jasper took the company's reins in 1912.

The business continued to expand, and in 1950 entered into a licensing agreement with Elliott Automation of the UK. Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies would jointly manufacture Fisher valves and controllers..

In 1992 the business became a subsidiary of Emerson Process Management, an operating division of Emerson Electric Company.

The above information is condensed from here

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