William Coffin Coleman (May 21, 1870 – November 2, 1957) was a businessman, the American founder of the

Coleman Company The Coleman Company, Inc. is an American brand of outdoor recreation products, especially camping gear, now owned by Newell Brands. The company's new headquarters are in Chicago, and it has facilities in Wichita, Kansas, and in Texas. There are ...

, a maker of camping equipment, and a politician. He served as the

Mayor of Wichita, Kansas List of Mayors Following is a list of mayors of the American city of Wichita, Kansas. # Edwin Bird Allen (1871–1872) # James G. Hope (1873–1874) # George E. Harris (1875) # James G. Hope (1876–1877) # William Greiffenstein (1878) # Sol H. K ...

from 1923 to 1924.

Biography

Coleman was born in

Chatham, New York Chatham is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 4,104 at the 2020 census, down from the 2010 census. The town has a village also called Chatham on its southern town line. The town is at the northern border of ...

in 1870. His parents moved the family to

Labette County, Kansas Labette County (county code LB) is a county located in Southeast Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 20,184. Its county seat is Oswego, and its most populous city is Parsons. The county was named after LaBette creek, the ...

in 1871, and in 1881 his father died. William started earning money by selling small goods as a child. After he got older, he became a salesman, a good entry position for someone with limited education but much energy. Baptist chapel car Evangel

While he was selling typewriters in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

, Coleman saw a lantern that used gasoline instead of

kerosene Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...

. He switched his sales to lanterns, believing these would be useful. He began to craft his own lantern, which he marketed as the Coleman Arc Lamp. In 1901 Coleman married Fanny Sheldon and they moved to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

. They had two children: Sheldon and Clarence Coleman. Coleman also developed what he called the G.I. pocket stove, in addition to the gasoline lamp. The business was now called the Coleman Lamp and Stove Company. after two decades in Wichita, Coleman entered politics, joining the Republican Party. He was elected as mayor of Wichita for one two-year term, serving 1923 through 1924. Coleman died in

on November 2, 1957 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. He is buried in Old Mission Mausoleum,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, William Coffin Businesspeople from Kansas People from Chatham, New York Mayors of Wichita, Kansas 1870 births 1957 deaths Kansas Republicans

Biography

See also

References

External links