Founded by James Bullough Lansing in 1946, JBL manufactures sound system products in many areas from speakers to headphones. Today we will not talk about the story of JBL, but the life of James B. Lansing, who gave the company its name.
Lansing’s life was a strange mix of turmoil, successes and defeats. However, Lansing’s actions played a large part in shaping the audio industry. The biggest legacy he left to the industry was JBL bearing the initials of his name.
James B. Lansing was born in Greenridge in 1902.
Lansing, whose father was a coal miner, was the ninth child in a family of fourteen children.
Little is known about Lansing’s childhood, who went from place to place due to both his father’s job and the closure of the mine in Greenridge. Most of the information has been obtained from his siblings, wife and children.
James Lansing reportedly worked on the ship with the Bullough family of Litchfield IL. Later, Bullough set his name as his middle name and registered it as his identity. His surname was Martini when he was born, but later changed it to Lansing. There is no information about the reason for this change.
Having attended elementary and high school in Springfield, Lansing also attended a small business college in the same city.
Interested in everything electrical and mechanical since he was little, Lansing was only 10 years old when he was able to make a Leyden Jar, a jar in which electricity was stored, to prank his friends.
At the age of 12, he built a small radio transmitter from scratch. It is said that the transmitter’s signals were so strong that they reached the Great Lake Naval Base in Illinois. Navy personnel found the source of these signals and had Lansing dismantle his radio transmitter.
After working as an auto mechanic in Springfield for a while, Lansing then attended an automotive mechanic school in Detroit.
After her mother passed away at the age of 22, she left her home and moved to Salt Lake City. It was here that Lansing, who married his wife Glenna Lansing and has four children, met Ken Decker, the man who would lay the foundations of JBL in the 1920s.
Lansing and Decker founded a company in Los Angeles in 1927, which they called the Lansing Manufacturing Firm. The duo produced speakers here that are used in radio sets and consoles.
Ken Decker, Lansing’s partner, died in 1939 while serving as a reserve officer in the US Air Force.
Without Decker, Lansing’s business suffered, and in 1941 he realized that selling the company was the only way to keep him afloat. On December 4, 1941, Altec Service acquired all the rights to the company. Agreeing that he would not do business under the Lansing name for at least five years, James Lansing began working at the company as vice president of engineering.
Despite having disagreements with Altec for five years, Lansing fulfilled its contractual commitment.
In the fifth year, 1946, he left Altec Lansing to establish a new company. Thus, the foundations of the company known today as JBL were laid.
The name of the company was originally Lansing Sound. Altec Lansing objected to this and the company was renamed James B. Lansing Sound (JBL). The company was founded during the economic collapse that followed the Second World War. The expected success could not be achieved due to both economic problems and the fact that Lansing was never a cunning and successful business person.
In 1948 and 1949, the company’s debt rose to $20,000. Robert Arnold, who admired Lansing and his work, is thought to be one of the biggest reasons why the company, which was expected to go bankrupt, came to its current state. Thanks to Arnold’s help, the company was able to survive.
In today’s popular psychology, we can characterize Lansing’s mood swings as “bipolar”.
That’s because Lansing was showing many symptoms, such as long bouts of depression followed by periods of extraordinary energy and creativity. He spent most of his weekends at work. On Monday mornings, secretaries noticed him sleeping on the couch.
On September 24, 1949, James B. Lansing committed suicide by hanging himself, both due to bad business and personal problems.
Lansing’s tombstone reads “our dear father.”
Although Lansing only spends weekends with her children; This inscription on his tombstone shows that he was loved by his family. Lansing was loved not only by his family, but also by his colleagues and associates.
Known for his knowledge, friendliness and warmth, Lansing is well remembered and remembered long after his death.
We said Lansing was not a cunning and successful business person, but he was definitely a smart person.
Because Lansing had taken out a life insurance policy to save the future of the company. Signing a $10,000 deal, Lansing ensured that his last partner, William Thomas, received this money, and JBL was left standing.
At the same time, Lansing left a third of the company to his wife. However, after a while, Thomas bought the shares from Lansing’s wife and became the sole owner of the company.
JBL, which is now owned by Harman International Industries, a subsidiary of Samsung, has become a global brand in audio equipment.
As we wrote above, Lansing has become someone who is fondly remembered by all his family and friends. As the founder of JBL, he pioneered many innovations in the audio world.
Sources: AudioHeritage, JBLPro
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