# Anthony Maglica

> Anthony “Tony” Maglica is the Croatian-American machinist, inventor and founder of Mag Instrument, the Ontario, California manufacturer behind Maglite. He began a garage machine shop in 1955, introduced the Maglite flashlight in 1979 and made domestic manufacturing a defining commitment of his business. His Mag Charger Rechargeable Flashlight is represented in MoMA’s collection.

- **Role:** Founder, owner and president at Mag Instrument, Inc. (Maglite)
- **Organizations:** Mag Instrument, Inc.
- **From:** New York City, United States
- **Nationality:** American; Croatian heritage
- **Education:** Machinist training at a trade school in Šibenik, Croatia
- **Known for:** Designed the Maglite flashlight, introduced in 1979., Created the Mini Maglite AA, introduced in 1984., His 1982 Mag Charger Rechargeable Flashlight is in the Museum of Modern Art collection.

## Career timeline

- **1930** — Born in New York City in November.
- **1932** — Moved with his mother to Zlarin, Croatia.
- **1950** — Returned to the United States.
- **1955** — Opened a garage machine shop in South El Monte, California.
- **1974** — Incorporated Mag Instrument.
- **1979** — Introduced the Maglite flashlight.
- **1982** — Mag Instrument established its headquarters in Ontario, California; MoMA dates his Mag Charger design to this year.
- **1984** — Introduced the Mini Maglite AA.
- **1987** — Introduced the Mini Maglite AAA.
- **1988** — Introduced the Solitaire single-AAA flashlight.
- **2025** — Accepted the Fourth District Distinguished Business Award on August 25.
- **2026** — Requested the development of a children’s road-safety curriculum announced by Mag Instrument in July.

## Achievements

- Designed the Maglite flashlight, introduced in 1979.
- Created the Mini Maglite AA, introduced in 1984.
- His 1982 Mag Charger Rechargeable Flashlight is in the Museum of Modern Art collection.
- Reached his 200th patent in 2018, according to the Orange County Business Journal.
- Received San Bernardino County’s 2025 Fourth District Distinguished Business Award.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Mag Instrument announced Safe Road Adventures, a free five-week K-5 road-safety curriculum developed by the Pedestrian Safety Institute at Maglica’s request.
- **2025-08** — Accepted the Fourth District Distinguished Business Award at Maglite’s Ontario headquarters on August 25.
- **2025-05** — Backed the National Police Dog Foundation through a branded flashlight collection.
- **2025-03** — Presented an engraved flashlight to Eagle Scout Andrew Grinsfelder in recognition of his actions during the Palisades fire.

## Links

- Website: https://maglite.com/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/anthony-maglica
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22