JOHN DEERE

Biography

• Born on February 7, 1804 in Rutland, Virginia
• He married Desmarais Lamb Deere and Lucenia Lamb Deere and had nine children total
• He died on May 17, 1886 in Moline, Illinois

Education

• He attended Middlebury College
• He was an apprentice under Captain Benjamin Lawrence

Agricultural Career

• Invented many agricultural tools and machines, such as the steel plow
• His inventions were made for the tough terrain of the Midwest
• He founded one of the world's largest agricultural manufacturing companies

John Deere Company

• Founded in 1837, right after he invented the steel plow
• By 1841, the company was creating over a 100 plows per year
• Today, the company is one of the most known world wide and its machines are constantly used

Political & Civic Career

• In 1858, he gave ownership of the company to his son
• He went on to find and become president of the National Bank of Moline
• He was also mayor of the town for two years

Steel Plow

• Deere noticed that a steel plow would better dig through the prairies, unlike the common iron plows
• He created his first steel plow in 1837
• He then began selling it to farmers everywhere

THE STEEL PLOW'S SIGNIFICANCE

• It was known as "The plow that broke the plains"
• Unlike common iron plows, it tilled through the hard prairie lands that often contained clay
• Farmers began to buy them, and as word spread the plow was a national farming phenomenon

Works Cited

• "Past Leaders." John Deere Leader Biography. John Deere. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. .
• "American National Biography Online." American National Biography Online. Web. 2 Apr. 2015. .