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America's First Female Industrialist Rebecca Lukens Was The Original Iron Lady

Rebecca Lukens

American industrialist Rebecca Lukens overcame adversity to turn a debt-laden ironworks into a leader and innovator in its field. (National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum)

The cards were stacked against Rebecca Lukens when she honored her husband's deathbed request and took over the Brandywine Iron Works & Nail Factory in 1825.

At the time, the ironworks was in debt. Lukens (1794-1854) was raising young children and was pregnant with another. That meant she faced running the business and her household alone. And the fact that a woman would be heading an ironworks didn't help matters.

Still, motivated by her Quaker faith, perseverance and courage, Lukens overcame the adversity. She drew on her leadership skills to pursue her goal of continuing and improving the business she had built with her husband as his partner.

"As a leader, she was resilient, courageous and had a strategic outlook," LeAnne Zolovich, educational services manager at the National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum, told IBD. "She was a practical person and a sharp judge of character."

Lukens was proprietor (or what we would call the CEO today) of the Brandywine Iron Works in 1825 through 1847. Later she became a silent partner with her son-in-law Abram Gibbons. She fully retired in 1850. During that time, Lukens not only got the business out of debt, she also strengthened its reputation for making quality boiler plates (the pieces of iron that were formed together to create boilers for steam technology) and built it into a powerful force in the industry. Fortune inducted her into the Business Hall of Fame in 1994.

She became one of America's few female iron masters and the country's first female industrialist.

Lukens demonstrated strong leadership skills from the very start of her tenure. She laid the groundwork for what eventually became Lukens Steel.

"She demonstrated she had the ability to run the business, and the business grew at a rate that (her husband) Charles would not have imagined," author Susannah Brody told IBD. She was very successful in business, and she was also a leader in the community as an orthodox Quaker."

Lukens forged success while facing many personal and professional obstacles. But she never gave up. She pushed forward to meet the challenges head on, drawing on her survival instincts to find courage.

"She was like George Washington at Valley Forge," Gene DiOrio, historical advisor to the National Iron & Steel Heritage Museum, told IBD. "She faced a million instances where rather than give up and walk away, Rebecca stayed with the problem and worked her way through it. She was a shining example of courage."

Staged A Turnaround

Among the challenges was the fact the business was in debt when Lukens took over, Zolovich says.

Lukens, a savvy business manager and strategic thinker, moved quickly to get her house in order. She got out of debt by taking out lines of credit from local businessmen, some of whom were associates or friends, at decent rates, says Zolovich.

"She also invested in her employees and the mill to increase production and make quality products," she added.

Lukens implemented many changes to make the mill more profitable and competitive, including improving the mill's working conditions.

At the physical site, she rebuilt the dam, installed a new water wheel and built larger furnaces, which allowed her to increase production, says Zolovich. Lukens also adopted new technology as it became available.

On the business side, Lukens pursued specialty markets.

"Rather than just making iron and sell it, she would go to customers and ask what they wanted specifically, and then make that for the customer," Zolovich said.

Zolovich says Lukens ensured the business was profitable and that it didn't operate at a loss.

"If she had to stop production to avoid losing money, she'd do that," she added. "And she made sure she manufactured quality products."

Employees First

Lukens motivated employees by treating them well and gaining their loyalty. She built housing for them. And she made sure they always had income, even during troubled times, says Zolovich.

That strategy came into play during the major recession known as the Panic of 1837, which wreaked havoc on businesses, including the Brandywine Iron Works.

Lukens invented new jobs and tasks to stay away from layoffs and keep workers committed. At times when production stopped at the mill, Lukens hired her workers to work on the farm she owned, do maintenance on the equipment, or repair the damn.

The strategy paid off.

"When the economy recovered she still had skilled, experienced iron workers at the mill," said Brody. "So she didn't have to find new ones or train new workers. From the perspective of the workers, you can imagine how they felt about her. They didn't lose their jobs and they didn't lose their pay."

Lukens was a hands-on executive, who knew how to delegate responsibility. She didn't handle the smaller, day-to-day operations of the mill, says Zolovich. Her brother-in-law, Solomon Lukens, oversaw the employees and daily production. In today's terms, he would be plant manager.

Her management style was apparent when she was dealing with suppliers and insisting on quality materials.

"She was there supervising and making sure her workers produced quality products," said Brody. "That's what they were known for — quality and being very reliable."

There were times when Lukens returned the iron and refused to pay for it because the iron they produced didn't meet her standards, says Brody. And the suppliers ended up suing her.

Overcame Odds

Lukens found strength and courage in adversity. One obstacle was the fact that Martha, her mother, "did not fully support her ownership and operations of the ironworks," says Zolovich.

Zolovich says another major challenge was the fact Lukens took over the business as a single mother, who took care of her children by herself and never remarried.

But Lukens found a balance between leading a business and taking care of her family.

She recognized the importance of family: "Rebecca made sure to successfully care for her family and never let the business take over life," said Zolovich.

Then there was the challenge of being a female executive in a male industry.

"While there is actually no record from Rebecca that she was discriminated against, she was a woman in a male industry at a time in history when women rarely worked outside the home, no less owned an iron business," said Zolovich.

That didn't stop Lukens from being a mighty contender.

"I believe she felt herself capable of doing whatever a man would have done in the same position," said Brody. "And she was very successful at it."

Adds DiOrio: "Many other women would have said 'this is beyond me' and quit. But she was a very responsible person who had a family. And she also felt responsible for the workers at the ironworks. And she took on a management position as a woman at a time when it was definitely a man's world."

Lukens possessed qualities and values that made her a rare woman in business and helped her overcome the challenges.

She benefitted from her upbringing. She was highly educated. Lukens attended school until she was 18, which was longer than many boys and girls of that era, says Zolovich.

Practiced Integrity

Her father, Isaac Pennock, prepared her to eventually take over the family's iron business. Lukens' Quaker faith influenced her upbringing and principles. For one, Quakers accepted the education and employment of women, says Zolovich.

Further, Quaker culture emphasizes the "Rules of Discipline," which asks Quakers to use "friendly action" when conflict arises.

"The general idea was Quakers were expected to use mediators to solve conflict or friendly action if they had to solve it themselves," said Zolovich.

She says Lukens followed these rules when she faced legal transactions.

In terms of leadership style, Lukens was not a risk-taker, but she was courageous, says Zolovich.

"Was taking over an iron business a risk? Absolutely," she said. "But Rebecca was a woman of her time in the sense that home and family were equally, if not more, important than the business. She was conservative in her decision-making and did not risk herself, her family, her business or employees."

Still, she was aware of the changes in technology and transportation brought on by the Industrial Revolution.

She took a chance in adopting the railroad as a means of transportation for her products.

"She was very wise and immediately used the (Philadelphia & Columbia) railroad to expand her market when it became active in Coatesville in 1834," said Brody, noting that in the past, the product was shipped by horse and wagon.

The railroad allowed Brandywine Iron Works' product to reach markets throughout the U.S. It extended from New York, Washington, Baltimore and as far as New Orleans, says Brody.

"That's how she became known as the premier boiler plate maker," she added.

Believed In Herself

Lukens was an assertive business leader and a shrewd business manager. She knew how to price her products well.

"She had a strong ability to determine prices for her products — high enough to make a profit, yet not so high to go above the market," according to an article on the museum's website entitled "Rebecca Lukens — Forged in America."

She was also adept at dealing with suppliers.

"She knew how to purchase supplies at the right cost," said Zolovich. "When dealing with suppliers, if she was given a price that was too high, she'd go back to them and negotiate a lower price."

The Brandywine Iron Works saga can be traced to Rebecca's father, Isaac, who established it in 1810. Her father taught Rebecca, the eldest child, the iron business. While home from school, Rebecca joined her father at the ironworks, according to the museum article.

Rebecca and her husband took over business operations by 1817. Rebecca's husband operated the business until his death. Then Rebecca took over.

And what a success she was. By the time Rebecca retired, many American ironworks went out of business, says the museum article. But the Brandywine Iron Works made it through the recession "with strength and success."

Steel came decades later in 1881, when the site rolled its first steel. The name changed to Lukens Iron & Steel in 1890, then to Lukens Steel in 1917. Bethlehem Steel bought Lukens for $740 million in 1998.

Lukens' Keys

Took the reins of Brandywine Iron Works & Nail Factory as a single woman, rescued it from debt and built it into a powerful force in the industry.

Overcame: Running a business and raising a family alone as a widow and being a female executive in a male industry.

Lesson: Push forward to meet the challenges head on and find strength and courage in adversity.

"'I will not dwell on my feelings, when I begin to look around me, but necessity is a stern taskmistress (and) my every want gave me courage."