Harold James Weiss (born James Harold Weiss) was an engineer, designer, sculptor, artist, and one of the founders of the Laurel Lamp Company.

From Laurel’s founding in 1946, Weiss oversaw all manufacturing and design work as President of the Laurel Lamp Company.

Until his departure in 1979, Weiss was the driving force behind Laurel’s emphasis on quality manufacturing and was directly responsible for growing Laurel into an internationally recognized lighting manufacturer. 

Early Life and Education

Weiss was born to Max and Rose Weiss on December 5, 1915 who lived at 178 Forsyth St., Manhattan, NYC. Weiss had a sister, Natalie Darwin, and a brother Murray, who was also a co-founder of the Laurel Lamp Company. Natalie is credited with ultimately choosing “Laurel” as the name for the company.

His father, Max Weiss (12/9/1891-1/22/1982) was an electric lighting pioneer who immigrated to the United States from Poland in 1908. By the time Harold was born, Max had started his first lighting company, “Habacht and Weiss” selling oil, then gas ceiling fixtures and coach lanterns. Subsequently, Max went on to start the Sunset Lighting Fixture Company in 1924 and the Laurel Lamp Company in 1946.

Harold Weiss grew up in Brooklyn and was educated in public schools where he graduated from New Utrecht High School in 1935. 

Following high school, Weiss attended New York University’s School of Engineering graduating in 1938 with a B.S, in Mechanical Engineering and majoring in Industrial Management Engineering. While at school, he served as the President of the local chapter of the American Society of Industrial Engineers. 

While he was not studying, Weiss spent a great deal of time on the production floor at his father’s company, “The Mutual Sunset Lamp Manufacturing Company” and apprenticed there as a student in the summers of 1934, 1936, & 1937. Weiss was trained in all aspects of the lamp manufacturing process from prototyping and designing, to metal shaping, milling, moulding, as well as assembly of the electronic components. 

After leaving NYU with an engineering degree, Weiss immediately went to work for the Leviton Manufacturing Company, as an assistant to the chief engineer.  In 1939, Weiss joined his father and began to work for the Mutual Sunset Company located in New Brunswick, New Jersey helping them to relocate and set up their new manufacturing plant.

In 1941, Weiss was rejected from joining the army and instead ran Mutual Sunset’s “War” division to provide industrial components for the war effort.

At the time Weiss’s brother Murray, was serving in the army, while their father Max had just retired from his role as co-founder of the Mutual Sunset Lamp Manufacturing Company. 

Following his father’s retirement, Weiss took over his father’s role of head of manufacturing at Mutual Sunset briefly before leaving the company on July 19, 1943.

From 1943-1945 Weiss went to work for MacDonald Brothers, a Boston engineering firm where he was assigned to the Boonton Molding Company 

The Laurel Lamp Company

In 1946, Harold Weiss joined forces with his father, Max, and brother, Murray, to establish the Laurel Lamp Manufacturing Company Inc. founded in Newark, New Jersey. Harold had recently departed from his position at Mutual Sunset, while Murray had freshly returned from military service, and their father emerged from retirement to embark on this venture.

Harold Weiss served as President of the Laurel Lamp Company from its inception and oversaw all aspects of the manufacturing and design process. Weiss also served as primary designer at Laurel from its inception through the late 1970s.

Integral to Laurel’s success, was Weiss’s design for Laurel’s manufacturing floor which went from 20,000 square feet in 1946 to over 100,000 square feet in 1971 with only minor layout changes needed. This enabled Laurel to rapidly grow its manufacturing capabilities without interfering with ongoing production. 

Weiss took exceptional pride in the quality of craftsmanship and detail that went into the production of each Laurel piece. During his tenure as Laurel’s president, Weiss visited countries all around the world to source high quality materials and find inspiration for new Laurel designs. From 1954 to 1979 Harold Weiss traveled to over 40 countries and documented over 120 foreign business trips for Laurel - the details of each trip Mr. Weiss recorded meticulously in dozens of notebooks (all of which are preserved in our Foundation’s archive).

These diaries and personal accounts provide rich historical context and insight into Laurel’s design process and Weiss’s constant drive for high quality materials and innovative designs.  

After Laurel was acquired by Instrument Systems Corporation in 1969, Weiss continued to serve as the President of the Laurel Lamp Company propelling the American manufacturer into a world renowned lighting company. 

In 1971 Weiss was responsible for collaborating with the renowned Venetian glass manufacturer, the House of Salviati, for a line of sculptural Murano glass lamps. In 1977 Weiss partnered with famed designer, Pierre Cardin, to release the “Pierre Cardin Lighting Collection by Laurel”. Under Weiss’s leadership –spanning 30+ years –Laurel developed a worldwide reputation for innovation in lighting design and manufacturing. 

In 1979, due to internal friction and corporate restructuring, Weiss was formally terminated by Instrument Systems Corporation. This termination was the subject of a lawsuit which Weiss eventually won. 

Learn more on our website about the history of the Laurel Lamp Company and its predecessor company the Mutual Sunset Lamp Mfg. Co. started by Harold’s father, Max Weiss.

Post Laurel Years

Following his departure from Laurel, Weiss started his own lighting consulting firm, Harold Weiss & Associates, with clients including Lightolier, Sequoia International Inc., along with international clients in Italy, Guatemala, Panama and Taiwan. 

Weiss later took a role as an engineering professor at Rutgers University and also traveled the world on behalf of the International Executive Service Corps, assisting companies in developing countries including Panama and Guatemala.

In 2001, Weiss self published a memoir about his life, family and business ventures. His book, titled “Me and My Family”  was the culmination of years of research  Weiss had personally done to uncover his own genealogy and document his family’s history for future generations.

Personal Life