Founded by the visionary Harvey Paul Jones in the early 20th century, Jones & Henry Engineers will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026. As we anticipate that upcoming milestone, we reflect on our firm’s rich history.
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Harvey P. Jones was born in Sandwich, Illinois, in 1891. As Harvey described him, his father was a “mechanically minded” man who had moved from New York to the small town 45 miles west of Chicago twenty years earlier.
After attending public schools in Sandwich, Harvey enrolled at the University of Michigan, graduating with honors in Civil Engineering in 1916. He would later obtain a degree in Chemical Engineering from the university.
Following graduation, Jones accepted the position of Sanitary Engineer for the City of Toledo, a role that inspired him to specialize in sanitary engineering. Two years later, he joined the New York engineering firm Fuller & McClintock.
One of Harvey’s assignments at Fuller & McClintock was to prepare a feasibility study for a modern sewage system for Toledo. That project briefly brought him back to Toledo as the study’s resident engineer. Then, in 1926, Jones returned to Toledo and established a consulting firm specializing in sanitary engineering.
It was the year Hollywood heartthrob Rudolph Valentino and escape artist Harry Houdini died, and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe was born. Hemingway’s first novel, The Sun Also Rises, was published. Chrysler produced the first Imperial, and the United States established its numbered highway system.
Called the H.P. Jones Company, the firm’s first project was consulting on a multi-million-dollar municipal improvement project in West Palm Beach, Florida. On the project, Harvey worked with local City Engineer Thomas B. Henry. The two became friends, and in 1927, Thomas Henry joined the H.P. Jones Company.
Harvey P. Jones (left) and Thomas B. Henry
With a background in townsite development and municipal engineering, Henry took over responsibility for investigating, reporting, designing, and supervising the construction of the new firm.
That same year, two other engineers joined the firm. Richard Batch had been an associate of Jones at Fuller & McClintock, and Harold Stepleton had worked with Henry in West Palm Beach. Adding personnel prompted Harvey to rename his business to H.P. Jones & Company. Of course, it would later become known as Jones & Henry Engineers.
