James Gamble

James Gamble (born April 3, 1803 in Enniskillen , United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ; today Northern Ireland , United Kingdom , † April 29, 1891 in Cincinnati , Ohio ) was a British soap maker and industrialist . He and his brother-in-law William Procter were the founders and namesake of Procter & Gamble .

Career

James Gamble attended Portora Royal School in Enniskillen before leaving Ireland for the United States with his parents at the age of 16 . They sailed from Derry and reached New Brunswick in Canada after 47 days . From there they embarked on another grueling journey by ship and car towards Illinois , where they intended to settle. However, James fell seriously ill on the way in Cincinnati. After his recovery, they settled there. James attended Kenyon College , where he graduated in 1824. He then began an apprenticeship as a soap boiler. In 1828 he founded his own soap factory. In the early 1830s he married Elizabeth Ann Norris (1822-1888), daughter of Alexander Norris. His sister-in-law Olivia Norris was married to William Procter, a candle-maker . Her father-in-law suggested they both merge their businesses to save costs and create synergies. The two men then opened their first store on April 12, 1837 on Sixth and Main Streets in Cincinnati. Their business grew rapidly due to its proximity to the Ohio River and the fact that Cincinnati was a rail hub.

From 1851, Procter & Gamble introduced an early version of the “Man in the Moon” stamp, which was first applied to the boxes of their star-marked candles. This step came out of the need to be identifiable, as many of the customers were illiterate at the time . The annual turnover continued to grow and in 1859 exceeded the one million dollar mark for the first time. Just before the Civil War , Procter and Gamble were concerned that their supply of a certain type of southern pine resin , which was a major ingredient in some of their products, could be cut. As a result, both partners sent their sons, William Alexander Procter and James Norris Gamble, to Louisiana to buy a huge amount of this pine resin. This clever move allowed Procter & Gamble to take a dominant position in the market during the civil war and to conclude a lucrative contract to supply the Union army with numerous products.

James Gamble died in Cincinnati on April 29, 1891 and was then buried in Spring Grove Cemetery . His son James was a chemist and CEO at Procter & Gamble. He was the inventor of the ivory colored soap, which became a best seller.

children

James Gamble and Elizabeth Ann Norris had ten children together. These were:

James Norris Gamble (August 9, 1836 - July 2, 1932)
Olivia Gamble (born September 18, 1841 - † July 31, 1850)
Alex William Gamble (born December 6, 1843 - † August 23, 1844)
William Alex Gamble (September 1, 1845 - May 2, 1897)
Charles E. Gamble (May 1, 1850 - December 27, 1863)
Edwin Percy Gamble (December 18, 1852 - April 23, 1939)
Lillian Frances Gamble (August 16, 1855 - May 2, 1907)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Gamble, James
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British soap maker and industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH	April 3, 1803
PLACE OF BIRTH	Enniskillen , UK
DATE OF DEATH	April 29, 1891
Place of death	Cincinnati , Ohio