Schwaab Stamp and Seal Company

Andrew Schwaab, founder of Schwaab, Inc., was born in New York in 1853. He moved to Milwaukee as a young boy and went to work as a storekeeper for his uncle's furniture store on Milwaukee's south side.

In 1881, Andrew founded the Northwestern Stamp Company in Milwaukee. On May 8, 1888, the company incorporated and changed its name to Schwaab Stamp and Seal Company. Andrew successfully continued and expanded the business until he died on April 19, 1911.

From 1911 to 1946, interest remained in the Schwaab family. In 1946, general supervision of the company passed to the two eldest Schwaab grandchildren, George A. Mayer and John A. S. Lane, who, together with their mothers, served as the company's board of directors.

Upon the deaths of Andrew's daughters, ownership of the company passed to their sons, John A. S. Lane, William N. Lane, George A. Mayer and Richard S. Mayer. By 1970, these four were taking an active hand in supervising the business as Schwaab's Board of Directors.

Over the years, Schwaab purchased several smaller companies in the marking device field. There came to be a total of four corporations under the Schwaab roof: the Schwaab Stamp and Seal Company, the Schwaab Engraving Company, the Schwaab Label Company, and the Schwaab Rubber Art Company. On January 1, 1973, the four corporations were combined into one — the Schwaab Stamp and Seal Company. A few months later, the company's name was changed to Schwaab, Inc.