The Hartford Rubber Works Company, established in 1881 by John W. Gray in Hartford, Connecticut, was a prominent manufacturer of rubber goods, including tires and tubes. Initially operating from a modest facility on Park Street with a workforce of about 20, the company expanded significantly by the early 1890s, becoming a major supplier of bicycle tires to the Pope Manufacturing Company, also based in Hartford.

In 1892, Pope Manufacturing acquired a majority stake in Hartford Rubber Works, integrating it into its operations. By 1899, the company was absorbed into Pope's Rubber Goods Manufacturing Company and later, in 1905, became part of the U.S. Rubber Company. Despite these transitions, Hartford Rubber Works maintained a degree of operational independence, continuing to innovate with products like the double-tube "Clincher" tires introduced in 1903 and the anti-skid "Bailey Tread" tires in 1905.

These innovations led to Hartford tires being standard equipment on early automobiles from manufacturers such as Locomobile, Olds, Baker Electric, Pierce, Racine, Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, White, Stevens-Duryea, Rambler, Cadillac, and Studebaker.