William Procter

William Procter

William Procter (born December 7, 1801 in Herefordshire , Great Britain , † April 4, 1884 in Cincinnati , Ohio ) was an English candle maker and industrialist . He and his brother-in-law James Gamble were the founders and namesake of Procter & Gamble .

Career

William Procter attended Luckston School in Herefordshire. He then opened a clothing store in London in 1818 . Procter left England for the United States in 1830 after burglary and fire in his business. After arriving in New York City , he worked as a candle maker. From there he moved west with his wife Martha, where they intended to settle in the new border area. On the way, however, his wife fell ill, so they had to stop in Cincinnati. His wife died there as a result of cholera . He then decided to stay in Ohio and started working as a candle maker again. He married a second time in 1833. His sister-in-law, Elizabeth, was married to James Gamble, a soap 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.

William Procter died on April 4, 1884 in Cincinnati and was then buried in Spring Grove Cemetery . After his death, his son William became President of Procter & Gamble.

family

William Procter was married twice, first to Martha Peat and after her death to Olivia Norris (* around 1814 - October 19, 1893). His first marriage was childless. The second marriage resulted in twelve children together:

• William Alexander Procter (August 1834--1907), President / Chairman and CEO of P&G from 1890 to 1907
• Elizabeth (* about 1836)
• Sarah (* around 1837)
• Elaine (* around 1838)
• Jane (* about 1839)
• Olivia (* 1840)
• Harley Thomas Procter (* 1841), CEO at P&G
• Oliver (* around 1841)
• George (* 1842)
• Harriet (* 1845)
• Edwin (* about 1849)
• Percy (* 1851)

Web links

• William Procter in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• William Procter in nndb (English)