The Nineteen Hundred Corporation

In 1908, Lou Upton invested his savings in a venture to manufacture household equipment.  When the company failed to materialized, Upton was offered the opportunity to select something of value from the failed venture as a return on his investment.  He chose the patents on a hand washing machine that he thought might be electrified.  Upton brought the patents and his innovative vision home to St. Joseph, Michigan.  In 1911, Lou with other family members, produced motor-driven wringer washers as the Upton Machine Company.  In 1929 it merged with the Nineteen Hundred Washer Company of New York.  Together they formed the Nineteen Hundred Corporation.  World War II halted washer production, as factories were modified to provide components for the P-40 Warhawk aircrafts and military equipment.  In the summer of 1945, the 1900 Corporation began producing washers again.  In 1949, the company changed its name to the Whirlpool Corporation in recognition of the huge success of one of its product brand names.  Source: Whirlpool corporate history

Henry Batke states in the 1930 census that he was a "bench worker in a washing machine factory." In 1939, his occupation is listed in the city directory as a "machine operator."  And, on his death certificate, in 1949, it says he was a laborer in the 1900 Corporation.  If he worked at the 1900 Corporation from about 1930 to his retirement, he saw a lot of activity at the plant.