Charles Henry Fletcher (aka Chas. H. Fletcher in company advertising) organized and led the Centaur Company, makers of "

Fletcher's Castoria Fletcher's Castoria, now known as Fletcher's Laxative, is an oral syrup containing a stimulant laxative and ingredients to soothe the stomach. It is a product of The Mentholatum Company, Inc. History On May 12, 1868, the United States Patent Offi ...

", serving as president and general manager. Standard Remedies, April 1922.

Early life

He was born December 25, 1837, (according to most records) in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, New York.

Business career

As a boy of 13, Fletcher went to work for a proprietary medicine company. In 1872 he managed to save enough to buy from a physician, Dr. Samuel Pitcher, the formula of a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

called Castoria. With this formula, he made a fortune. Originally marketed as Pitcher's Castoria, the product has had several names, notably Fletcher's own. A little known fact is that he was sent south before the Civil War to collect debts by Demas Barnes. He returned (successfully) just before

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battl ...

was attacked (so shortly before April 12, 1861, he returned north). Partly due to this success (and others both before and after), Barnes backed him in forming the Centaur Company.

Testimonials

" he Centaur Company isprobably the largest proprietary medicine concern in the country, if not in the world. Mr. Fletcher's name has become so identified with the product of the company that it is known all over the civilized world." "Charles H. Fletcher snbsp;... signature is perhaps better known than that of any other man of his day. ... The entaurcompany's advertising is said to have created a new epoch in advertising, and among the famous slogans which made it world-known was 'Babies cry for it',"

Personal life

married Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

Jemima Elizabeth Bright (September 10, 1848, England - May 8, 1932,

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York) in 1866 (according to 1890

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

records). He had three daughters who lived to adulthood, Mymie (My-me) (May 16, 1868 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

- May 28, 1958 in Pasadena, California) who married the Reverend William Morrison (October 5, 1863 - January 4, 1915) who was the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

at Trinity Church in

, Lucille (December 16, 1873 in Brooklyn, New York - February 29, 1956, in East Orange, New Jersey) who married George Howard Betts (August 5, 1871, Brooklyn, New York - 8 Jul 1940 in Pinehurst, North Carolina) who was a cosmetics manufacturer, Ettye (Et-E) (November 25, 1870 in Brooklyn, New York - December 7, 1929 in Orange, New Jersey) who married Albert Bryant also had large roles in the Centaur Company and Sterling Products later known

Sterling Drug Sterling Drug was an American global pharmaceutical company, also known as Sterling Winthrop, Inc. in its last years (after the merger with Winthrop-Stearns Inc. which itself resulted from the merger of ''Winthrop Chemical Company Inc.'' and '' ...

. Albert Bryant's sister,

Sara Cone Bryant Sara Cone Bryant (1873May 28, 1956) was an American lecturer, teacher, and writer. She wrote children's books in the early 20th century. She also supported and took a leadership role in Women's suffrage in the United States, women's suffrage. Ear ...

, was a well-known children's book author. Records indicated he had one daughter, Eva born about 1869 who died young and another child who is believed to have died at birth and was unnamed. He had one sister, Catherine Gale Fletcher and two half-sisters, Fanny Fletcher and Lucille Bennett. His house still stands and is privately owned on Berkeley Avenue in Orange, New Jersey. The house has seven full bathrooms. Charles Henry Fletcher died April 9, 1922 in Orange, New Jersey. He was interred in

Green-Wood Cemetery Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several bl ...

, Brooklyn, New York.

Related facts

* In 1884, the Centaur Company offered to pay for the pedestal for the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

when the Pedestal Fund Committee found itself short of money in return for placing "Castoria" on the base for one year. The offer was declined. * Demas Barnes, a United States representative from New York, was one of the initial backers of Fletcher's Castoria and his daughter

Mildred Barnes Bliss Mildred Barnes Bliss (September 9, 1879 – January 17, 1969) was an American art collector, philanthropist, and one of the cofounders of the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection in Washington, D.C. Biography Bliss was born in New Yo ...

used portions of their share to build

Dumbarton Oaks Dumbarton Oaks, formally the Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, is a historic estate in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was the residence and garden of wealthy U.S. diplomat Robert Woods Bliss and his wife, M ...

, in Georgetown, DC. * Charles Henry Fletcher's son-in-law Albert Bryant began working for the Centaur Company (and later

Sterling Products Sterling Drug was an American global pharmaceutical company, also known as Sterling Winthrop, Inc. in its last years (after the merger with Winthrop-Stearns Inc. which itself resulted from the merger of ''Winthrop Chemical Company Inc.'' and '' ...

) in 1899 and retired from the company November 8, 1937. * In July 1908 he received from Charles L. Seabury Company the "largest

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

in the world driven by motor power" at the time, the ''Jemima F. III'' which was approximately 111 feet in length, named for his wife, Jemima, a trend for large luxury yachts that continues. File:Jemima F III (3) yacht.jpeg, ''Jemima F. III''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Charles Henry 1837 births 1922 deaths Former yacht owners of New York City