Spartus Corporation was an American consumer electronics manufacturer originally based in Chicago, Illinois.
Spartus was founded as the Utility Manufacturing Company in Chicago, Illinois, in 1934 by Jack Galter (1904–1993).
In his 20s, Galter was a jazz and lounge drummer who played for such giants as Benny Goodman, David Rose, and Danny Alvin.
[1][3] During the 1930s, Utility manufactured a wide array of analog camera equipment, selling them under a medley of trademarks, including Falcon, Galter, Monarch, Regal, Spartus, and Spencer, among others.
[1] Later, in the mid-1990s, Spartus' clock manufacturing concern was acquired by the General Time Corporation, whose trademark roster included Westclox and Big Ben.
After General Time went bankrupt in 2001, Salton, Inc., owners of the George Foreman Grill, purchased the rights to their trademarks—including Spartus—in August that year.