Caleb D. Hammond

Caleb D. Hammond, Jr., president of the map-making business C. S. Hammond & Company from 1948 to 1974, died at age ninety.

C. S. Hammond & Company was second only to Rand McNally in producing road maps and atlases pinpointing cities and towns, across the country and around the world. The 1955 edition of Hammond’s Ambassador World Atlas included 326 maps and a 242-page index with more than 100,000 location names.

Hammond made his mark on the family-owned company by selling its maps to book publishers, including Random House and Simon & Schuster. He also played a key role in helping the company as it made the transition to digital production.

In 1999, the company was sold to Langenscheidt Publishers, a German company that produces travel books and maps. Now known as the Hammond World Atlas Company, it is based in Springfield, New Jersey.

Hammond was born on June 24, 1915 and graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1937. He served in the Coast Guard during World War II.

In April 1948, Hammond was elected president of the company after serving as the company’s vice president and secretary. He retired in 1974, but remained active, working with the staff as it adjusted to using computers. The company produced the first digitally generated world atlas in 1992.

Caleb D. Hammond (Necrology). 2006. AAG Newsletter 41(7): 17.