The Life Story of William Wrigley Jr.
According to Forbes, Wrigley’s makes twice as much annual sales as the second most popular gum brand, Trident.
The man behind Wrigley’s gum is its founder, William Wrigley Jr., who earned the nickname “father of chewing gum” for creating the most valuable gum company, the William Wrigley Jr. Company.
William Wrigley Jr. ventured into selling chewing gum at a time when there were over a dozen chewing gum companies in the United States.
Through creative branding and effective advertising, his company quickly became the dominating chewing gum maker in the world. This article covers Wrigley Jr.’s life story.
Birth and Childhood
The story of William Wrigley Jr. began on September 30, 1861, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents, Mary A. Ladley and William Wrigley, were second-generation Americans with English ancestry.
Wrigley Sr. owned a company, Wrigley Manufacturing Company, which manufactured and sold soap.
“The art of salesmanship can be stated in five words: Believing something, and convincing others.” – William Wrigley Jr.
Wrigley Jr. was very defiant as a child. He got suspended and expelled from school various times and even ran away from home to live in New York.
The young Wrigley worked as a paperboy and lived on the streets of New York for three months before returning home. His father enrolled him again at school, but he got kicked out again for pulling a dangerous prank on his schoolmates.
Education
Wrigley Jr. did not complete his education, not because his parents could not pay his tuition but because he always caused trouble at school.
His father gave up on educating him and decided to employ him at his company. The young Wrigley worked 10 hours a day mixing soap ingredients. He later caught the sales bug and became a soap salesman in Philadelphia and New York.
Early Career
The sales department was where Wrigley Jr. thrived the most. He possessed two qualities that made him an impeccable salesman: persistence and personality.
No matter how badly young Wrigley needed a sale, he remained polite and never talked back to a customer.
Wrigley Jr. had a knack for sales but soon lost enthusiasm and caught a train to the west. However, he misplaced his ticket in Kansas City, returned to his home city, and started working at his father’s company again. He remained there for nearly a decade before changing gears again.
“Everybody likes something extra, for nothing.” – William Wrigley Jr.
Venturing Into Chewing Gum
Wrigley Jr. relocated his family (wife and daughter) to Chicago in 1891, having worked in sales for nearly two decades.
He intended to continue being a soap salesman for his father’s company, only with a different approach. Wrigley Jr. planned to sell soap while offering baking powder as a bonus. His philosophy of attracting and retaining customers was to give them something extra.
Using $32 in funding and a $5,000 loan from his uncle, Wrigley Jr. ventured into business selling soap. He eventually realized that his customers were more interested in baking powder than soap, so he switched to baking powder and added chewing gum as a bonus.
Chewing gum became so popular that young Wrigley shifted his business again.
“Success is not easy. But it is worth the price.” – William Wrigley Jr.
Wrigley Jr. launched his first two chewing gum brands, Lotta Gum and Vassar, in 1892. He suffered intense competition from the six largest chewing gum companies, which had merged to form a trust. Wrigley Jr. refused to join them, preferring to go alone. His company neared bankruptcy several times but survived nonetheless.
Business Philosophy
Wrigley Jr. had a knack for selling and attracting customers. He relied heavily on advertising and direct sales, going so far as to search for clients himself.
Dealing with them directly enabled him to understand their needs and tune his product accordingly.
Wrigley Jr. continued his philosophy of giving away premiums alongside his chewing gum. He gave away lamps, fishing tackles, cookbooks, and razors.
The system was so successful that Wrigley Jr. created a premium catalog to help customers select their preferred items.
“When two businessmen always agree, one of them is useless. When two men always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”- William Wrigley Jr.
Wrigley Jr. introduced Juicy Fruit and Wrigley’s Spearmint in 1893 and 1894.
Little did he know that these chewing gum brands would dominate the market for over a century. He pushed the spearmint flavor to the point it became the bestselling gum in the United States.
Wrigley Jr. later acquired the company that made his chewing gum, Zeno Manufacturing, and renamed his entity William Wrigley Jr. Company. He emphasized quality as a way to grow his brands.
Under Wrigley Jr.’s leadership, the company expanded to Canada (1910), Australia (1915), New Zealand (1939), and Great Britain (1927). Customers in each country had different tastes, so Wrigley Jr. launched flavors to appeal to people in those regions.
Other Noteworthy Achievements
A die-hard baseball enthusiast, Wrigley Jr. enjoyed watching baseball games while drinking and chatting with friends.
His favorite team was the Chicago Cubs, which he acquired in 1921. Wrigley Jr. also purchased the Los Angeles Baseball Club and another baseball team in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Personal Life
Beyond his business ventures, Wrigley was also known for his philanthropy, having contributed to various causes, including education, art, and religion.
He was a crucial donor to the Catalina Island Conservancy, which helped preserve and protect Catalina Island.
Wrigley Jr. married Ada E. Foote in 1895. The couple had two children, Phillip and Dorothy. They settled in Philadelphia but moved to Chicago, where Wrigley Jr. started his chewing gum business.
Death
William Wrigley Jr. died on January 26, 1932, at age 70, at his Phoenix mansion. The New York Times reported the cause of death as acute indigestion, heart disease, and apoplexy.
He was laid to rest in the Wrigley Memorial & Botanical Gardens on Santa Catalina Island, California.
Defiance With a Purpose
A defiant kid who occasionally ran away from home and frequently got expelled from school, Wrigley Jr. does not meet the profile of a successful entrepreneur.
However, he eventually became a pioneer in the chewing gum industry and an impeccable salesman. William Wrigley Jr. left a lasting legacy through his chewing gum brands and contribution to the U.S. baseball community. His story inspires many entrepreneurs not to let their past or childhood setbacks define their future.
“Anyone can make gum. Selling it is the problem.” – William Wrigley Jr.
William Wrigley Jr. Timeline
 1861:
William Wrigley Jr. is born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
 1875:
Young Wrigley drops out of school to work in his father’s soap company.
 1891:
Wrigley Jr. moves to Chicago and sells his own soap while offering baking powder as a premium.
 1892:
Wrigley Jr. sells baking powder while offering chewing gum as a bonus. He later switches to chewing gum as the main product.
 1893-1894:
Wrigley Jr. introduces new chewing gum brands, Juicy Fruit and Wrigley’s Spearmint, which become the most popular gum brands worldwide.
 1911:
Wrigley takes over Zeno Manufacturing, the company that makes his chewing gum, and renames his entity the William Wrigley Jr. Company.
 1915:
Wrigley builds the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue in Chicago as the new headquarters for the Wrigley Company.
 1916-1921:
Wrigley buys a minority stake in the Chicago Cubs baseball team and, by 1921, becomes the majority owner.
 1919:
Wrigley purchases the Santa Catalina Island Company, which owns most of Santa Catalina Island off the coast of California.
 1925:
Wrigley turns the company presidency over to his son, Philip, and becomes board chairman.
 1932:
Wrigley dies at the age of 70 in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The information in this post answers many of the questions about William Wrigley. This section provides a summary and any additional information.
1. Does the Wrigley family still own Wrigley’s gum?
No, the Wrigley family no longer owns the Wrigley Company. The company was acquired by Mars Incorporated, a global food and candy conglomerate.
2. Where is the Wrigley family from?
The Wrigley family is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
3. Who inherited Wrigley Jr.’s fortune?
Since the Wrigley family fortune was largely tied up in the Wrigley Company, the company’s control passed to William Wrigley Jr.’s children, Dorothy and Philip. The assets later went to William “Beau” Wrigley Jr., William Wrigley Jr.’s great-grandson.
4. Is the Wrigley family still wealthy?
While the Wrigley family no longer owns the Wrigley Company, they are still considered wealthy. Their net worth is not publicly known, but their wealth spreads across various holdings and investments.
5. How many mansions did the Wrigley family own?
At the peak of William Wrigley Jr.’s wealth, he built the lavish Wrigley Mansion on Santa Catalina Island and several waterfront homes and properties in various locations.
6. Why is it called Wrigley?
The company got its name from its founder, William Wrigley Jr.
7. How did the Wrigley family make its fortune?
The Wrigley family made its fortune through the Wrigley Company, founded by William Wrigley Jr.
8. Why was William Wrigley kicked out of school?
William Wrigley Jr. was a defiant child by nature and got kicked out of school several times for minor misdemeanors. He got expelled from his last school for pranking his schoolmates.
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