Moses Bensinger

Bensinger was born August 17, 1839, in Louisville, Kentucky. He was the son of Nathan and Lena Bensinger. Bensinger went to Louisville public schools while a child. Upon graduation, he apprenticed to a jeweler. He started his own jewelry business in 1859.[1]

1888 Brunswick-Balke-Collender company factory on State Street in downtown Chicago

Bensinger became an employee of Brunswick, a manufacturer of billiard and pool tables, in 1869. Brunswick's headquarters for his business was in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he had a branch office in Chicago. Bensinger, Brunswick and a couple of others formed the J. M. Brunswick Billiard Manufacturing Company in October 1872. Bensinger became a vice president and was general manager in charge of the Chicago branch. In January 1874 the Brunswick Company merged with a rival firm. This competitive company, owned by Julius Balke, had factories in Cincinnati and St. Louis, Missouri. On July 8, 1879, the new merged company formed was incorporated and called Brunswick & Balke Company.[2] The incorporators were Brunswick, Bensinger, Julius Balke Sr., A. F. Troescher and Leo Schmidt.[3] This company then merged in 1884 with another manufacturer of billiard and pool tables run by Hugh W. Collender. The name then became Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company. Bensinger was the motivating force in bringing about this conglomerate. Brunswick died in 1886. The company extended its business into bowling manufacturing in 1888 and Bensinger was made president of this new company in 1890.[4][5][6]

Bowling in 1890 was a disorganized sport with no rules or regulations, played mostly by Germans in dimly lit Chicago saloons and basements of buildings.[7][8][9] Bensinger helped coordinate and was the prominent figure in bringing about the initial organized set of rules and regulations for the sport of modern ten-pin bowling.[7][10] He started then to make bowling balls and pins for new bowling alleys.[8][11] His company also made the bowling lanes for these alleys.[8][12][13] The first commercial regulation ten-pin bowling alley licensed was installed at the Plaza Hotel in north Chicago (Clark Street) in 1891.[14][9] Bensinger sponsored traveling all-star bowling teams, managed by William V. Thompson, proprietor of the Plaza Bowling Alley, to promote Brunswick bowling products.[9] Within two decades there were over two hundred commercial regulation ten-pin bowling alleys in Chicago alone.[15]

Bensinger, Brunswick's German-Jewish son-in-law, was influential in setting up the American Bowling Congress (A.B.C.) in 1895.[7][16][17] On September 9, 1895, the A.B.C. was officially formed as a permanent organization at Beethoven Hall on east Fifth Street in New York City.[18][19] The A.B.C. had their first formal annual meeting four days later on September 13 at the Elephant club on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and adopted the proposed constitution and by-laws.[20] The new organization took effect officially on October 15, 1895.[21] The basic organization was a legislative body that enforced uniform bowlers' rules and regulations,[22][23][24] through a set of by-laws and a constitution of Articles,[25] for all in the United States to follow as the official standard for ten-pin bowling.[26][27] The organization, since incorporated into the United States Bowling Congress, standardized and still governs all bowling equipment for modern ten-pin bowling.[28][29][30]

Bensinger married Eleanora Brunswick, the daughter of John M. Brunswick, in 1867.[31] They had two daughters, Cora and Edna, and one son, Benjamin Edward.[32] Bensinger's son Benjamin became president of the Brunswick-Blake-Collender company upon his death.[33] Benjamin's son Robert took over in 1931, making him the third generation of the Bensinger family to hold the office as the company's president.[33][34]

Bensinger held the position of president of the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company from 1890 until his death. He died in French Lick, Indiana, on October 14, 1904.[1][35] The cause of death was heart failure.[36] His remains are interred at Rosehill Cemetery.[37]

Bensinger experimented and researched improved billiard tables and gear,[38][39][40] leading to significant patents for rubber bumpers and other innovations.[41][42][43] In 1880 Bensinger, as part owner of J. M. Brunswick & Balke Company, set up a branch in San Francisco for manufacturing billiard tables, making his company the only American coast-to-coast manufacturer and distributor of these tables.[44][45][46] He was involved in setting up tournaments for establishments that had his billiard tables and issued cash prizes and trophies.[47][48][49]

Bensinger was a member of the Lakeside and Washington Park clubs, and of the Chicago Athletic Association.[1] Bensinger was a Turner as a member of the Chicago German-American gymnastic club.[15] He was a member and on the executive board of the Chicago Sinai Congregation.[50] Bensinger was one of the original 1869 members of The Standard Club, which is predominately Jewish.[51] He was involved with its new 1889 club-house building on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, since the original building burned down.[52] Bensinger was its president from 1889 through 1893.[53]

Bensinger was known as a business negotiator to settle disputes between management and labor.[54] He was recognized as being affable, practical, far-sighted, progressive and democratically inclined in his dealing with workers.[1][55][56] He signed the first agreement with a predecessor of the Amalgamated-Woodworkers Union, which led to a harmonious and productive relationship between union and management.[37]