from "An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota 1912"

W. A. Houston (1895) patentee and founder of the Houston Fountain Pen, was born June 2, 1872 at Hadley, LaPeer county, Michigan, where he received a common school education, leaving school at the age of 17 to come West to work on a farm at Manchester, South Dakota, for his brother-in-law. This business he continued for two or three years; then he farmed on his own account until 1893.

Soon after this he learned the barber trade, which business he followed until 1901, operating successfully two shops in Tracy, Minnesota for several years, one shop consisting of five chairs, bath parlor cigar stand. He is the former owner of the property where now stands Richard's Department Store, Mr. Richard having purchased the same in 1909. While engaged in the barber business, he worked out the idea of drying the face by compressed air. This is now used in many places and was soon adopted in general by barber supply dealers, and thousands of outfits have been sold.

In the year 1901, Mr. Houston sold his business and went on the road as a traveling salesman and was quite successful. After trying several different lines, he took up the fountain pen line, which proved to be the one that pleased him most. In 1908 he received a patent on his first pen and soon afterand soon after commenced manufacturing the same on the upper floor of his building.one skilled rubber turner and himself conducting the business. The business was continued this way for the first year, its growth being wonderful. In the second year the Houston Pen Company was incorporated with a capitol of $50,000. Thebusiness was moved to the Opera House Block and some of the best business men bought freely of the stock and put their "Shoulders to the wheel."

At this time the company is located at Sioux City, Iowa, has a capitol of $100,000 and is destined to be one of the largest pen manufacturing companies in the world. Tracey business men still hold controlling stock in the company of which W. A. Houston is president.

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Pen researcher David Johansen is deeply interested in the Houston Pen Company and other pen intersts of Mr. Houston and his fountain pens. If you have any information to share, please contact him at:

didavejohannsen@earthlink.net