| Erie J. Sauder | |
| Birth Date: | 6 August 1904[1] |
| Birth Place: | Archbold, Ohio |
| Death Place: | Archbold, Ohio |
| Education: | eighth grade |
| Occupation: | Inventor, cabinetmaker, furniture manufacturer |
| Spouse: | |
| Parents: | Daniel and Anne (Schrock) Sauder |
| Children: | Three |
Erie J. Sauder (August 6, 1904 – June 29, 1997) was an American inventor and furniture-maker. He invented a knock-down table in 1951[2] [3] and founded a company that produced ready-to-assemble furniture—one of the largest in the United States at the time of his death.
Sauder was born in Archbold, Ohio,[2] to Daniel and Anne (Schrock) Sauder.[1] In 1927, he married Leona Short. He had only an eighth grade education[4] and was a Mennonite cabinet maker. Sauder worked at the Archbold Ladder Company in his home town before he started his own business in 1934.[2]
The Sauder Woodworking Company initially manufactured church pews, tables and other items.[2] In 1954, he formed the Sauder Manufacturing Company[2] and later diversification included the Archbold Container company.[4] The Sauder Woodworking Company manufactured ready-to-assemble furniture, while Sauder Manufacturing handled church furniture, and the Archbold Container company dealt in materials for packaging.[2] With over 3,200 employees, at the time of his death, the Sauder companies constituted one of the largest companies producing ready-to-assemble furniture in the United States.[4]
In 1975 Sauder retired, but the businesses continued to be run by family.[2]
After retiring, Sauder started Sauder Village which depicts life in nineteenth-century Ohio.[2] [5]