General Motors Corporation. Frigidaire Division

Frigidaire began in 1916 as the Guardian Frigerator Company, founded by Alfred Mellowes and investors in Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1918, the business was acquired and renamed Frigidaire, and in 1919 it was sold to General Motors, which developed it as a major appliance division.

Under General Motors, Frigidaire became one of the best-known names in refrigerators and later expanded into kitchen ranges, freezers, air conditioners, and other household products. The brand was especially important in the growth of electric refrigeration in the United States, and its name became so familiar that in some places people used “Frigidaire” as a generic word for a refrigerator.

The Frigidaire division remained part of General Motors for decades before being sold in 1979. Even after leaving GM, the brand continued, and it remains a recognizable name in home appliances today.