William L. Wrigley, Jr. was an American chewing gum industrialist and salesman.
Background
William L. Wrigley, Jr. was born on September 30, 1861, the eldest son of William Wrigley, Sr. and Mary A. Ladley. His father was a soap-maker, and at the age of ten William was sent out on the streets Saturdays to sell soap from a basket.
Education
Wrigley, Jr. attended grammar school.
Career
Tiring of school, he and a chum ran away to New York when he was eleven, and there he supported himself by doing odd jobs and selling papers. Returning home in a few weeks, he went to work in the factory, stirring a vat of liquid soap for a wage of a dollar and a half a week. At thirteen — he was then very large for his age — he started out as a soap salesman, sometimes traveling by train, sometimes in a bright red wagon, with four horses and jingling bells. At eighteen he ventured forth to try his luck in the far West, but he lost his railroad ticket at Kansas City, and after some hardships made his way back to his father's factory. In 1891 he decided to go into business for himself in Chicago. An uncle, William Scatchard, lent him $5, 000 with which to begin, on condition that Scatchard's son be his partner. They started in the soap business, later added baking powder, and then chewing-gum, which was growing in popularity. A born salesman and organizer, Wrigley gradually obtained almost entire ownership of the business. In 1892 he contracted with the Zeno Manufacturing Company, chewing-gum makers, to produce gum for him. With all of his products he gave premiums to dealers for large purchases, and to his salesmen. The premiums ranged from lamps, clocks, and parasols to free accident insurance. Gradually and with many vicissitudes, he built a great business, baking powder and then soap being dropped as the years passed, and chewing-gum becoming the sole product. For some years he made many flavors, and in 1899 introduced a new one, "Spearmint. " It seemed to make little impression on the public for some time, but Wrigley continued to push it. In 1907 he spent $284, 000 in advertising, principally on "Spearmint, " with astounding results. Its sales in the last eight months of that year were $170, 144; in the following year they were $1, 345, 862. Thenceforward, he was the world's greatest chewing-gum maker. The Zeno Company, which had been manufacturing his gum, he took over in 1911, and thereafter the new corporation, the William Wrigley, Jr. , Company, produced its own. The whole world was taught by it to chew gum, advertising being spread in thirty languages. Before his death, he had factories in Chicago, New York, Brooklyn, Toronto, London, Berlin, Frankfort, and Sydney, and his annual sales were $75, 000, 000, of which possibly $10, 000, 000 to $12, 000, 000 was net profit. Seventeen years of litigation with L. P. Larson, Jr. , over the "Spearmint" trademark ended in 1928 with the Wrigley Company's having to pay — as Wrigley thought, unjustly — $1, 900, 000 in damages. Having become wealthy, Wrigley extended his interests. Between 1916 and 1921 he bought stock in the Chicago National League Baseball Club until he had a controlling interest. In 1921 he acquired the Los Angeles Baseball Club and later the Reading team. In 1919 he purchased Santa Catalina Island, a neglected beauty spot off the California coast, and improved it so that it became one of the most famous resorts in America. He brought there birds from all parts of the world, some of them being kept in an enormous flying cage. He had large investments in mines and hotels, and was a director in several banks. William Wrigley, Jr. died on January 26, 1932, at Phoenix, Arizona, of a heart ailment and was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Achievements
Politics
In 1912, William L. Wrigley, Jr. contributed $25, 000 to Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive campaign fund, but returned to the Republican party in 1916, and continued thereafter to take some interest in politics.
Views
Quotations:
"A man’s doubts and fears are his worst enemies. He can go ahead and do anything as long as he believed in himself. "
"I market for the same reason a pilot keeps his engines running once he is off the ground. "
"Nothing is so much fun as business. I do not expect to do anything but work as long as I can stand up. "
"Success is not easy. But it is worth the price. "
Connections
On September 17, 1885, William L. Wrigley, Jr. married Ada E. Foote, by whom he had two children — Philip Knight and Dorothy.