North American Company - Holdings

Holdings

In 1889 New Jersey passed legislation to facilitate the control of other companies by another corporation with a goal of encouraging trusts to convert into holding companies and relocate to that state. To take advantage of these expanded corporate powers, in 1890 Oregon and Transcontinental, which was an Oregon corporation, re-incorporated as a holding company in New Jersey and became the North American Company.

By 1940, North American was a US$2.3 billion holding company directly and indirectly heading up 80 companies. It controlled ten major direct subsidiaries in eight of which it owned at least 79%. Three of the ten were major holding companies:

• Union Electric Company of St. Louis, Missouri
• Washington Railway and Electric Company
• North American Light and Power Company

Four of the ten direct subsidiaries were operating companies:

• Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company
• Pacific Gas and Electric
• Detroit Edison Company
• Wisconsin Electric Power Company

The remaining three of the ten direct subsidiaries were:

• North American Utility Securities Corporation
• West Kentucky Coal Company
• 60 Broadway Building Corporation

At various times during its existence, North American also owned substantial interests in these other companies as well:

• Milwaukee Electric Railway and Light Company: Formed in 1896 as a subsidiary of the North American Company. By 1929, it operated within North American Company along with Wisconsin Electric Power Company, which became the consolidated name of the two operating companies in 1938. It now belongs to Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE: WEC)

• Capital Transit: Formed on December 1, 1933 in Washington, D.C. from merger of Washington Railway, Capital Traction, and Washington Rapid Transit. North American owned it through its holding company subsidiary, Washington Railway and Electric Company, which in turn was the holding company for the merged lines, owning 50% of Capital Transit.
• Potomac Electric Power Company
• Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company
• Union Light, Heat and Power of Covington, Kentucky
• Northern Natural Gas Company
• Butte Electric and Power Company
• Laclede Gas Company
• Edison Securities Corporation
• Wired Radio, Inc. (Muzak)
• North American Edison Company

North American Company was broken up by the Securities and Exchange Commission, following the United States Supreme Court decision of April 1, 1946.