Norton Tool Company

William T. Norton was a salesperson for the Powell Tool Company of Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1880s. In 1887 he made steep investments into the company and was elected as the treasurer of the company in 1888. When the company was approached by men who would become the leadership of the American Axe and Tool Company, Norton was a huge backer of inclusion in that new conglomerate, investing heavily in that company as well. Due to his heavy backing, he was elected as the first Secretary of the A.A. & T. Co. in 1889. After the failure of the first A.A. & T. Co. organization in 1895, Norton pulled back from involvement with the group as it restructured. In June of 1897, along with George S. Duperon, Harry Dixon, L.C. Manzelman,and W.M. Paazing, Norton created the Norton Tool Company of Cleveland (located in the West Park area). Though distanced from the “Axe Trust”, the Norton Tool Company had a professional relationship with the American Axe and Tool Company, and was included on the list of companies who were interested in joining the “International Axe and Tool Co.” in 1903. The company was only mildly profitable and closed down around 1909.