The original company was started in 1923 by Raymond E. DeWalt, inventor of the radial arm saw. It grew quickly and was reorganized and reincorporated in 1947 as DeWalt Inc. American Machine & Foundry Co., Inc. bought the company in 1949, then sold it to Black & Decker in 1960. Black & Decker divested itself of the radial arm saw manufacturing branch in 1989, selling it to two executives. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., formerly known as The Stanley Works, now owns the DeWALT brand.

I have their thickness planer which is a great beginners planer.  I may upgrade it to a helical head someday.  The streaming series The Expanse features a spaceship named DeWalt and has the DeWALT colors.