The Tokheim Company
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
John J. Tokheim made his first pump (used in General Stores) in 1898, The then organized the Tokheim Manufacturing Company in 1901. After the company was sold and moved to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, in 1918, someone from the Tokheim family started a business called “The Tokheim Company.” Tokheim made at least six visible pumps in the 1920s. The company also made a “VAC” Extractor which removed water from gas tanks and rotary piston pumps. They were still in business in 1958 making an automatic liquid level gauge for bulk storage tanks. The company is now owned by the Barnes Manufacturing Company, of Marion, Iowa.
Tokheim Tank & Pump Company
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Ft. Wayne, Indiana
John J. Tokheim, a merchant in Thor, Iowa, was looking for a pump he could use to pump kerosene in his general store. Around 1898 he invented a dome oil pump. This pump had a glass cylinder at the top, and while not referred to as a visible, it is conceivable that Tokheim invented the first visible pump. In 1901, Tokheim organized The Tokheim Manufacturing Company. The Tokheim Company prospered and grew into a large company in Cedar Rapids manufacturing tanks, gas pumps, oil dispensers, barrel pumps, and pumps used in the dry cleaning business.
In 1918, The Tokheim Manufacturing Company was purchased by a group of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, investors, and led by the former general manager of the Wayne Pump Company, Ralph F. Diserens. The company was moved to Ft. Wayne and named the Tokheim Oil Tank and Pump Company. The company prospered and expanded rapidly. In 1926, Tokheim even expanded into traffic signals with the acquisition of the Signaphore Company of Ft. Wayne. The manufacturing of traffic signals continued until 1938, when the division was sold off.
While the Depression was hard on many pump companies, Tokheim survived by offering products that were not only excellent in quality, but also in appearance. During World War II, Tokheim made bombs for both Britain and the United States.
Over the years, Tokheim acquired the American Tank and Pump Company (1948), the National Pumps Corporation (1948), and William M. Wilson’s Sons (Gasboy), Inc.(1986), along with a number of smaller supply companies.
On December 1, 1953, Tokheim officially became the Tokheim Corporation. Since the company had not made oil tanks for more than 25 years, it was felt that a new name was appropriate.
In 2002, Tokheim closed and filed bankruptcy. Tokheim Corporation’s international assets and subsidiaries were acquired by Tokheim S.A.S. Tokheim S.A.S. was acquired by COGNETAS, previously named Electra Partners Europe. Tokheim pumps are now made in France and Scotland. The right to make parts for existing pumps was purchased by the Dresser-Wayne Company, and Gasboy was purchased by Danaher (Gilbarco).