The History of Penn tackle
Martha Henze, the First Lady of PENN, by David Conway
The PENN name is legendary in the fishing world. Though few
people—even PENN gear loyalists—really know the company's incredible story
or the crucial role played by Martha Henze, wife of founder Otto Henze. It's a
story about the American Dream and a telling saga of American society in the
20th Century.
When Martha Haecker married Otto Henze in 1935 in Philadelphia, her
plans were likely along the same lines as the vast majority of American women of
her generation—have children, raise them and support her husband's business
pursuits. She could never have anticipated the sudden misfortune that thrust her
to the forefront of the business and sporting worlds when Otto died. In that crisis,
Martha Henze stepped in to help lead PENN to international success, in the
process becoming one of the well-known anglers of her day.
Back in 1932
Back in 1932—the depths of the Great Depression, probably the exact
worst time in the last century to begin a new business venture—an ambitious and ingenious German immigrant named Otto Henze started PENN Fishing Tackle Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia. He engaged the public's passion for fishing with his brand new gear, which Henze was able to price lower than the competition due to his innovative designs and manufacturing techniques. Naming his reels after local fishing hotspots, like the Long Beach (sold for $2.48), the fishing public took to the reels. The company's first year's sales totaled $7,526—equal to about $100,000 dollars today.
Despite the harsh economy, the company enjoyed a decade of success,
thanks to the public's great love of fishing, PENN's quality gear at affordable
prices and its growing reputation of service to its customers.
In 1941
In 1941, with the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese war planes, the
U.S. joined WWII, again sending the country into times of difficult sacrifice. "Some of the things I recall as a boy during WWII were rations on meat
and other foods", said Herbert Henze, Otto and Martha's son and later head of
PENN himself, in an interview. 'You had to be sparing and save things. We had
to recycle tin cans, cardboard and other materials. This was after 10 years of the
Great Depression. So my parents were products of the Depression and WWII."
In 1942
In 1942, with the sacrifices of the war growing, PENN moved to its new,
bigger manufacturing facilities in the industrial section of North Philadelphia. A section of that plant was dedicated to making ammunitions for the war.
"At work," Herbert said, "my father lost most of his younger men to the
draft. After the war, many came back to work. Many did not," he added.
Among the social changes sped up by the war, women were drawn into
the workforce like never before to fill the jobs vacated by men in service. Martha herself probably never thought that she would be one of those workers, but a few years after the war ended, misfortune struck when Otto died unexpectedly at age 51.
"My father died in 1949, leaving a wife and three children," Herbert said in the interview, conducted by the East Falls Historical Society in 2009. "It was a very traumatic time, probably the most traumatic time of my life. My mother wanted to go ahead with his plans."
To step into business in those days as a woman was not too uncommon,
but not exactly a well-paved path to success, either. There was no grand tradition
of successful female business leaders in America to look to, among other very
serious obstacles. However, to step into business as the president of a still very
new and growing company that focused on fishing, traditionally a male pursuit,
well, that was something else entirely. Martha Henze took that step when she
was 39.
At the time, American consumers were getting back on their feet
financially after the war, earning more expendable income for recreation than
they had in previous years. They were ready to travel, spend that cash and enjoy
themselves. It was the perfect combination for fishing expenditures to take off,
and they did.
Beach fishing became popular, and it was ruled by the famous PENN
Squidder surf-casting reel, which Henze released in 1938. Party boat fishing also
grew in those years, giving working class people a chance to "deep sea" fish for
fun, sport and food. Party boats established themselves in many of the coastal
towns in driving distance from big cities all around the U.S. coasts. Many of the
boats were stocked with PENN's popular, affordable and durable Senator reel.
It was also a pivotal time for American companies. Burgeoning global
trade ties, including new ones forged by the war, along with emerging
technologies in manufacturing and communications were rapidly transforming
business landscapes. U.S. companies had competition from overseas imports
like never before.
Even amid these pressures, as PENN's leader, Martha was able to take
PENN from a well-established American company into a dominant international
brand.
One of the foremost chroniclers of PENN gear and the company's early
history is Mike Cacioppo, author of numerous books on PENN.
"Martha was not involved in the growth of PENN until after the death of
Otto Henze," Cacioppo said. "She became CEO until Herbert was old enough to
take the reins and then she became Chairman of the Board. I am told she was
very loved by the employees and the Philadelphia business community. She was
also a 'fisherwoman' who earned honorable mentions in books, such as Women
Can Fish by Chisie Farrington, copyright 1951."
Indeed, adventurous and bold both in business and sport, Martha traveled
widely to fish the big game hotspots in the Western Hemisphere. In 1951, she
caught a 613-pound bluefin tuna in Nova Scotia. Photos of her fishing appeared
in PENN catalogs through the years, along with plenty of other women anglers
and their catches.
Anyone watching Martha's moves as head of one of the world's biggest
fishing tackle companies could clearly see that changes were coming to the
world of sport, to business and to traditional home life, as well. It wasn't just going
to be a man's world anymore.
Under her tenure as president of the company, by 1959 PENN
manufactured 77 different models for all kinds of fishing. In '62, PENN introduced
its first spinning reel, the Spinfisher 700, which made fishing easier for a lot of
newcomers to the sport.
It was a true family business for the Henze's. Martha remained president
until 1963, when her son Herbert took over and she became chairwoman of the
board. Her daughter Elizabeth was the secretary and treasurer of the company,
and her son Walter also worked for PENN. In the Sixties, Martha's brother Robert
Haecker became the director of the Philadelphia factory. "He built up great loyalty
with the people in the factory, "Herbert said in the East Falls interview. Later in
the decade, PENN had three factories in the Philadelphia area.
Martha remained chairwoman of the board of directors of PENN until
1977, when she retired. That year she was honored by the Society for the
Advancement of Management for her accomplishments and business acumen.
She died on August 19, 1997, leaving a company and a legacy of angling that we
still enjoy today.
