Model 302 telephone

The Model 302 telephone is a desk set telephone that was manufactured in the United States by Western Electric from 1936 until production of entirely new units ceased about 1954, after the introduction of the modern model 500 telephone in 1949. However, units were routinely refurbished at least until 1958. After manufacturing ended, a modified version, the 5302 was issued until the mid-1960s through the Bell System refurbishing shops with a new modern housing that resembled the model 500.

The model 302 is a member of the 300-series telephones and was developed by the industrial design firm of Henry Dreyfuss. It was the first widely used American telephone to include the ringer and network circuitry in the same telephone housing.

Design and production

Designed by the firm of Henry Dreyfuss, the Model 302 included design elements influenced by Ericsson model DBH 1001 of 1931, designed in 1929 by the Norwegian artist and designer Jean Heiberg. After field trials in early 1936, large-scale deployment commenced and the model was never completely retired from service in the Bell System.

Western Electric

Western Electric Company (WE, WECo) was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company that served as the primary supplier to AT&T from 1881 to 1996. The company was responsible for many technological innovations and seminal developments in industrial management. It also served as the purchasing agent for the member companies of the Bell System.

History

In 1856, George Shawk purchased an electrical engineering business in Cleveland, Ohio. On December 31, 1869, he became partners with Enos M. Barton and, later the same year, sold his share to inventor Elisha Gray. In 1872 Barton and Gray moved the business to Clinton Street, Chicago, Illinois, and incorporated it as the Western Electric Manufacturing Company. They manufactured a variety of electrical products including typewriters, alarms, and lighting and had a close relationship with telegraph company Western Union, to whom they supplied relays and other equipment.

In 1875, Gray sold his interests to Western Union, including the caveat that he had filed against Alexander Graham Bell's patent application for the telephone. The ensuing legal battle between Western Union and the Bell Telephone Company over patent rights ended in 1879 with Western Union withdrawing from the telephone market and Bell acquiring Western Electric in 1881.