history of Bowne

In 1775, a young Quaker named Robert Bowne opened a small stationery shop, which he named Bowne & Co., at 256 Pearl Street in New York City. Little did he know that his modest business would endure for more than two centuries to become a global financial, marketing and communications enterprise, and the oldest publicly traded company in the United States.

From the moment Robert Bowne opened Bowne & Co. Stationers, the company has worked hand-in-hand with prominent businesses such as the Bank of New York (where Mr. Bowne served as a founding director alongside Alexander Hamilton). Like other New York City merchants of his day, Robert Bowne did not specialize, but dealt in a variety of dry goods, including cloth, paper, printing, quills, pens, powder, nails, cutlery and fur.

By the mid-19th century, Bowne & Co. had evolved into a printer and stationer serving the business community of New York City, and later began to print annual reports and stock certificates for the growing number of limited liability stock companies. By the end of the century, Bowne & Co. had evolved into a successful financial printer known for speed, accuracy, dependability and confidentiality—the same qualities the company prides itself on today.

Whether composing, editing, filing, printing and distributing clients’ critical financial and regulatory documents—or creating, integrating, managing and distributing personalized, one-to-one communications for marketing and business communications clients—Bowne still provides the same high-touch, around-the-clock service that the company first offered 230 years ago.

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