What was the name of the company that merged with Berkshire Fine Spinning to form Berkshire Hathaway in 1955?

Hathaway Manufacturing was the company that merged with Berkshire Fine Spinning to form Berkshire Hathaway in 1955.

The legal predecessor was generally called Hathaway Manufacturing Company, a New Bedford, Massachusetts textile producer founded in 1888 by Horatio Hathaway. Berkshire Fine Spinning Associates, based in Adams and other New England mill communities, was the other half of the combination.

The merger took place on March 14, 1955, and the new company adopted the name Berkshire Hathaway. At formation, it was still a textile manufacturer, not the diversified investment conglomerate associated with Warren Buffett today. The combined operation had 15 plants, more than 12,000 employees and over $120 million in revenue.

A frequent mistake is to answer with “Hathaway Mills,” a later or informal name associated with the New Bedford textile operation. “American Textile,” “Berkshire Mills” and “Hathaway Industries” are not the canonical name of the merger partner.