Industry: Electronics Manufacturing
Founded: 1942
Founders: James R. Knights and Leon Faber
Location: Sandwich, Illinois
Later Name: CTS Knights (after 1964 merger with CTS Corporation)
Years of Operation in Sandwich: 1942–2002
Home › History › Businesses › The James Knights Company
The James Knights Company was founded in Sandwich, Illinois, in 1942 by James R. Knights and Leon Faber during the early years of World War II. The company was created in response to the urgent demand for precision electronic components used in military communications systems.
The firm began operations in a small garage on Wells Street just north of Route 34 in Sandwich. From this modest beginning, Knights and Faber developed and manufactured quartz crystal oscillators, devices that precisely controlled radio frequencies used in transmitters and receivers. These components were critical to reliable military radio communication and were widely used in wartime equipment.
Leon Faber brought technical experience in producing quartz crystal control units for amateur radio operators, while James Knights had already established himself locally through his electrical and radio service business. Their partnership combined engineering expertise with business leadership, allowing the company to grow rapidly during the war years.
After World War II the company continued producing crystal units used in military aircraft radios and other communications equipment. As electronics technology advanced, the firm expanded its product line to include crystal oscillators used in a variety of devices, including communications equipment, laboratory instruments, and later computer systems.
By the 1950s the James Knights Company had become one of the most important industries in Sandwich. The company advertised its products widely in electronics and radio publications, promoting its precision frequency-control devices under the “JK” brand. In 1955 the firm became the first company to offer packaged crystal controlled transistorized oscillators to the electronics industry.
In 1964 the company merged with CTS Corporation of Elkhart, Indiana originally known as Chicago Telephone Supply Corporation and the Sandwich operation became known as CTS Knights. The merger connected the Sandwich factory to a larger international electronics manufacturer while allowing the local operation to continue producing precision crystal components.
Two years later, in January 1966, the company merged with Newell Laboratories of Eldridge, Iowa. Equipment and personnel from that facility were moved to Sandwich, further expanding production.
For many years the factory remained a major employer in the community. In June 1974 operations moved from the downtown Sandwich location to a newly constructed manufacturing facility on Reimann Avenue. At the time the company was considered one of the region’s most important electronics manufacturers.
The company continued producing crystal oscillators and related electronic components for communications systems, computers, and other electronic devices for decades. During the early 1970s the firm also explored the use of quartz crystals in watches and clocks as electronic timing technology advanced.
Operations in Sandwich continued as part of CTS Corporation until 2002, when the facility was closed after sixty years of manufacturing. The Reimann Avenue plant was later demolished in 2010, marking the end of one of Sandwich’s most significant industrial enterprises.
The company’s founder, James R. Knights, also played an important role in preserving Sandwich history. In the mid 1960s he donated the historic Stone Mill Museum building to the Sandwich Historical Society, ensuring the survival of one of the community’s oldest industrial landmarks.
Related Pages
- James R. Knights – Founder of the James Knights Company and early supporter of the Sandwich Historical Society.
- Stone Mill Museum – Historic industrial building later donated by Knights and preserved as a museum.
Sources
Information for this article was compiled from the following historical materials and archival sources:
- Advertising and trade publications of the James Knights Company, including electronics industry advertisements from the 1940s–1950s.
- Archival material from the Smithsonian Institution Online Virtual Archives describing the development of the company and its role in crystal oscillator manufacturing.
- Republican-Times (Ottawa, Illinois), January 6, 1965 – “Sandwich Given Building for Historical Museum.”
- Historical accounts of the Stone Mill Museum and the early activities of the Sandwich Historical Society.
- Additional Information – Mark Harrington