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Gilbreth, Frank B. (Frank Bunker), 1868-1924

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: July 7, 1868 - June 14, 1924

Biographical Information

Frank Bunker Gilbreth was born July 7, 1868 to John and Martha (Bunker) Gilbreth of Fairfield, Maine. The youngest of three children, Frank enjoyed a quiet childhood until his father's sudden death from pneumonia in 1871. For financial reasons, his mother was forced to move Frank and his sisters, Anne and Mary, to Boston where Martha opened a boardinghouse. Martha successfully managed the boarding house and along with a small income from her sister Caroline's artwork, was able to support the family and put her two daughters through college. After passing the MIT entrance exams in the summer of 1885, Frank decided to forgo higher education and entered the construction trade as a bricklayer's assistant. Frank noted that the bricklayers with whom he trained all had different approaches to bricklaying and he soon devised a method which eliminated unnecessary motions and greatly increased productivity. Frank quickly worked his way up within the company and was soon able to support his mother and aunt. In 1895, he started his own contracting firm, Frank Gilbreth and Company. The company became famous for finishing projects early and under budget. In 1902, Frank's firm finished building a laboratory for MIT in eleven weeks, a feat which so impressed a young engineering student that he begged the president of the university to arrange a meeting. The student was Andrey Potter (who later became the dean of engineering at Purdue University) and he and Frank Gilbreth became lifelong friends.

The marriage of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth began one of the most famous partnerships in engineering history. Frank insisted that Lillian become a full partner in the business and she worked with him first from home but soon joined him on job sites, at business meetings, and participated in industrial conferences. Frank relied on Lillian tremendously and affectionately referred to her as "Boss." They collaborated on papers, speeches, lectures, and co-authored four books. In 1907, Frank met Frederick Winslow Taylor, the developer of time study, and became a disciple of the Taylor System. The Gilbreths became deeply involved in scientific management research and Frank was instrumental in the creation of the Taylor Society. In 1912, the Gilbreths left construction and focused their attention on scientific management consulting. They broke with Taylor in 1914 and formed their own form of scientific management which focused on the human element as well as the technical and patented their motion study equipment and techniques. In 1915, Lillian received her doctorate in psychology and incorporated her training into the family business. She saw the need to improve worker satisfaction which would in turn improve overall job performance and worker efficiency. Frank designed his systems to ease worker fatigue and increase productivity by studying each movement a worker made in a process he called micromotion study. The Gilbreths used still photographs and film strips to study worker movement in order to devise the "One Best Way" to perform a task. The Gilbreths also saw the need to improve the physical comfort of the worker and their innovations in office furniture design were ahead of their time and led the way to the study of ergonomics. In 1917, Frank enlisted in the war effort and became Major of Engineers and was stationed at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. During his enlistment, he became very ill and never fully recovered. During this time, Frank applied motion study principles to soldiers who had been disabled in the war.

The Gilbreths work in time management and efficiency carried over into their personal lives. Early on, Frank and Lillian agreed to have twelve children, six boys and six girls. The children Anne, Mary (died at the age of six from diphtheria), Ernestine, Martha, Frank Jr., Bill, Lillian, Fred, Dan, John, Bob, and Jane soon became willing participants in their parents’ studies. The older children were assigned younger siblings to care for and all had daily housekeeping tasks, including the toddlers, who were given table legs to dust. Often Frank would recruit the children for help with his research including his motion studies on typing and surgery.

On June 14, 1924, Frank died suddenly of a heart attack. Lillian successfully carried on the business, their research in motion study, and put all their children through college. Frank earned numerous honorary degrees and awards, both during his life and posthumously. Lillian Gilbreth wrote and published, “The Quest of the One Best Way,” in recognition of Frank and his work in time and motion study. In 1931, the Society of Industrial Engineer’s created the Gilbreth Medal in recognition of Frank and Lillian’s work in the field.

Citation:
MSP 7, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.
Citation:
MSP 8, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Library of Management Research and Professional papers, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.
Citation:
Gilbreth, Lillian M. (1998). "As I remember." Engineering and Management Press. Norcross, Georgia.

Found in 10 Collections and/or Records:

Arnold Sweet collection of movie posters

 Unprocessed Material — Communal accessions box 23
Identifier: 20170627.1

Alice Rice Cook papers

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: MSP 287
Scope and Contents

The Alice Rice Cook Papers contain clippings regarding Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, correspondence with Lillian Gilbreth, and correspondence and materials regarding the death of Lillian Gilbreth collected by Alice Cook.

Dates: 1943-1972; Other: Majority of material found in 1950s-1960s; Other: Date acquired: 11/30/1971

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers, addition 02

 Unprocessed Material — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 20120615

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers, addition 03

 Unprocessed Material — Box 1
Identifier: 2024-090

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers, addition 04

 Unprocessed Material — Multiple Containers
Identifier: 20210625.1

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Library of Management Research and Professional papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 8
Scope and Contents The Gilbreth Library of Management documents the pioneering research of Frank Gilbreth and Lillian Gilbreth in the fields of time and motion study. Commonly referred to as the N-file, the collection covers the Gilbreths quest to find The One Best Way in job performance, worker satisfaction, efficient office management, and home economics.Types of material in the N-file include photographs, manuscripts, correspondence, notes, blueprints, newspaper clippings, reports, and research...
Dates: 1845 - 1959; Majority of material found within 1906 - 1924

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 7
Scope and Contents The Gilbreth Papers documents the professional and personal lives of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth. The collection consists of personal papers, letters, correspondence, photographs, and other memorabilia that Lillian Gilbreth collected during her life regarding her youth, marriage, family, and career. Types of materials in the collection include: personal correspondence between Frank and Lillian Gilbreth regarding their courtship, marriage, family, and work; correspondence between the Gilbreths...
Dates: 1869 - 2000; Majority of material found within 1949 - 1968; Other: Date acquired: 11/30/1971

Ernest McCormick papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 508
Scope and Contents The Ernest J. McCormick papers document the life and career of Professor Emeritus and President of PAQ Services Ernest J. McCormick. The majority of the papers date from 1945 to the late 1980s. The McCormick papers document McCormick’s private life and professional career, particularly his professional activities during his tenure at Purdue University. Some personal papers are included, which document McCormick’s academic background, books from his personal library as a child, and materials...
Dates: 1870 - 1994; Majority of material found within 1945 - 1988

Andrey A. Potter papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 527
Scope and Contents The Andrey A. Potter papers document the career, education, and personal life of nationally renowned engineer and educator Andrey Potter (A.A. Potter). Types of materials in the collection include articles; speeches; surveys; research and lecture notes; certificates, diplomas, and awards; photographs; correspondence; printed material; scrapbooks; medals; ephemera; artifacts; books and manuscripts; obituaries; greeting cards; reports; letterhead; newspaper clippings; and meeting minutes. The...
Dates: 1893 - 1986; Majority of material found within 1930-1970; Other: Date acquired: 11/30/1979

The Frank and Lillian Gilbreth films collection

 Collection — Box vhs, dvd
Identifier: MSP 214
Scope and Contents The Frank and Lillian Gilbreth films collection includes a VHS cassette and duplicate DVD of two short films. The Quest of the One Best Way: The Original Films of Frank B. Gilbreth, by James Perkins and Ralph Barnes, features film footage taken by Frank Gilbreth, particularly those used in his Motion Studies and Fatigue Studies research. The film includes commentary by James Perkins and Lillian Gilbreth, who narrate various aspects of Frank and Lillian...
Dates: 1968; Other: Date acquired: 03/02/2011