James Barret Crockett
J. B. CROCKETT COMPANY, INC.
AN important and well established exporting enterprise is that of J. B. Crockett Co., Inc., which has its offices at 42 Whitehall Street, New York. The business was established in Singapore, Straits Settlement, in 1912, by James B. Crockett and Amos F. White. In April, 1915, they removed their headquarters to New 1 ork, and on January 1, 1916, the business was incorporated under its present title, the officers being James B. Crockett, president; M. V. Buck, vice-president; and Amos F. White, secretary and treasurer.
As originally established in Singapore, the firm was engaged as manufacturers' agents and in general trading, but specialized very largely in the automobile and transportation line; and since coming to New York the company has continued to emphasize these specialties, although their export business is general and covers a wide range of products. To-day, the trade of the company is world-wide, although the business of the rm is still principally in the Far East, including Japan, China, the Straits Settlements, the Dutch East Indies, British India, and Australia. Next :n importance is the European business of the company, principally to England, France, and Scandinavia.
The company has established branches in London, Singapore, Sydney, Australia, and Goth-enburg, Sweden. Their business is exclusively in export, chiefly in the automotive industry, and the company has, during the war period, supplied .1 large number of auto-trucks to the Allied Governments. The firm is one of the leaders in the roreign distribution of automobiles, motor trucks, rarm tractors, oil and gasoline engines, and engineering equipments and automobile acces-sories of all kinds. The extent of their trade in automotive products is such that they take the entire output of several factories. The company has heavy interests of a financial character in manufacturing enterprises, including the Clyde Cars Co. of Clyde, Ohio, and others. Besides their exporting and shipping business in automotive products they export and ship in other 'ines, and they also take contracts for electrical, mechanical, and automotive engineering work in foreign countries, supplying American machinery and equipment and installing plants of various kinds. For instance, they are now putting in an electric lighting plant, under contract, in Uruguay.
The business has undergone a gratifying expansion and no firm in the business has better connections either with American manufacturers or with foreign buyers than this company, or has a management more intimately acquainted with the markets for automotive products, especially in the Far East, where Mr. James B. Crockett has had several years of residence and experience in this particular line.
James Barret Crockett was born in Kentucky in 1887, and is of a family American for many generations and of English and Scotch descent. He was educated in a military school and began his business career in Detroit, Mich., with the Packard Motor Car Co. He was afterward with the Cadillac Motor Car Co. and later with the Studebaker Corporation, also in Detroit.
While he was with the Studebaker Corporation Mr. Crockett went abroad for several years, establishing foreign branches for that company, first making his headquarters in London and later going to the Far East, where he organized branches at all the principal commercial centres of Japan, China, and the Indies, making his headquarters for some years in Tokyo, and later in Singapore, where, with Mr. Amos F. White, he established his own business in 1912. In those countries he established an extensive and intimate acquaintance with leading merchants of the Far East.
Mr, Crockett is a skillful automotive engineer, thoroughly acquainted with all of the departments of automobile manufacture and distribution. He is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, a fellow of the American Geographical Society, a member of the National Geographic Society, the American Asiatic Society, the Royal Automobile Club of London, and the Circumnavigators Club and Whitehall Club of New York.
The other officers of the company also bring to it experience and specialized knowledge of peculiar value in the building up of the enterprise to its present place of prominence in the export business.
