38 Dexter-Russell
In 1893, Hyde hired a man who would establish a family dynasty within this
company. Twenty-year old Myron B. Clemence, who was finishing his studies at
Becker College in Worcester, worked in the office at Hyde as receiving and shipping
clerk and bookkeeper after his classes. Within two years, Clemence was appointed
clerk of the company and soon became treasurer. In 1897, he and the plant manager
managed to accumulate enough money to buy out I.P. Hyde and they assumed
ownership of the company.
Under Clemence's leadership, Hyde continued to prosper. Work orders increased,
prompting a need for more workers and by 1910 the company had 55 employees.
But such growth precipitated a serious space shortage, so in 1917 the Hyde Company
purchased six acres of land on the outskirts of Southbridge where they built a new
factory. Laid out in the shape of an "H," the building represented the ultimate in
efficiency and contained state-of-the-art features for the times. e employee count
was now 100.
In 1926, the Hyde story came full circle when eodore Harrington called Clemence
and asked if he would purchase his company. Harrington's son was uninterested
in assuming ownership and eodore felt that acquisition by the Hyde Company
would be the most logical option; he did not want to dissolve the company. Clemence
agreed and bought all of Harrington's assets for $5,000. is transaction took place
51 years after I.P. Hyde had left T. Harrington Company to start his own knife-
making business.
In 1930, Myron's son, Robert U. Clemence, joined the company and held various
positions, eventually becoming president. It was during his reign at Hyde that
Russell-Harrington again became available for purchase. He decided that acquiring
the cutlery company made good business sense.
Mill blades and handles
Robert Clemence
