Frederick W. Gigax Biography


	This biography appears on pages 835-836 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. V (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				FREDERICK W. GIGAX.


	During practically the entire period of his active life Frederick 
W. Gigax has been in some way associated with the implement business 
and has represented some of the largest implement houses in the United 
States. He has founded success upon wide experience, supplemented by 
business insight and ability of a high order order, and he has risen to 
a prominent place in his chosen field, being manager at Aberdeen of the 
Rumley Products Company. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1875, and 
following the completion of his public school course entered the Iowa 
State University, where he studied mechanical engineering. He later 
secured a position with the Altman Taylor Machinery Company, with whom 
he remained for some years. In 1903 he became connected with the Avery 
Company of Peoria. Illinois, and for three years thereafter held a 
position at their Omaha house. From 1906 to 1909 he was manager at 
Kansas City and was afterward for two years head of the Indianapolis 
branch. From July, 1911, until May, 1912, he was connected with the 
export department of the company and in its interests made trips to 
South America and Europe, being aided in his work along this line by 
his ability to speak five languages. 

	On the 20th of September, 1913, Mr. Gigax was made manager of the 
Rumley Products Company at Aberdeen and he has since held this 
important position, which he fills in a creditable and able manner. 
This company was established on the 31st of December, 1911, following 
the consolidation of the M. Rumley Company, the Advance Thresher 
Company and the Garr Scott Thresher Company. The plant was built by the 
Advance Company in 1909 and in 1911 was enlarged to meet the demands of 
the new concern, so that it now covers nearly an entire city block. The 
company carries the Advance Thresher line and the Garr Scott Company's 
and the M. Rumley Company's lines of threshers, besides the oil pull, 
kerosene tractor, engine plows, feed grinders, ensilage cutters, 
stationary and portable gas engines, hay balers, corn shredders and 
electric lighting outfits. The company employs from thirty-one to fifty 
men and has twenty-five traveling representatives, covering a territory 
embracing North and South Dakota and eastern Montana. There is a five 
hundred thousand dollar stock of goods in the Aberdeen house, in 
addition to a one hundred thousand dollar stock of spare parts. Besides 
the plant at Aberdeen there is also a branch at Watertown. 

	Mr. Gigax is married and has five children. He is connected with 
the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Masonic lodge and the 
United Commercial Travelers. He is a man of good business ability, 
exemplary habits and upright character and he fully merits the goodwill 
which is uniformly extended him.