William E. Corbin (1869–1951) was the inventor of Nibroc

paper towels A paper towel is an absorbent, disposable towel made from paper. In Britain, paper towels for kitchen use are also known as kitchen rolls, kitchen paper, or kitchen towels. For home use, paper towels are usually sold in a roll of perforated shee ...

and was the mayor of the city of

Berlin, New Hampshire Berlin ( ) is a city along the Androscoggin River in Coös County in northern New Hampshire, United States. It is the northernmost city in New Hampshire. The population was 9,425 at the 2020 census, down from 10,051 at the 2010 census. It ...

(1931–1932).

Early life and career

William E. Corbin was born in 1869 in

Charlestown, New Hampshire Charlestown is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,806 at the 2020 census, down from 5,114 at the 2010 census. The town is home to Hubbard State Forest and the headquarters of the Student Conservation As ...

to Samuel and Mary Corbin. As a child, Corbin worked on a farm in

. For a short time Corbin worked at the Government Cheney mill in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. He later moved to

, on May 27, 1892, where he was employed at the Riverside Mill of the

Brown Company The Brown Company, known as the Brown Corporation in Canada, was a pulp and papermaking company based in Berlin, New Hampshire, United States. They closed their doors during the 1980s. History H. Winslow & Company In 1852, a group of Portla ...

. In 1894, he became superintendent of this mill. In 1904, the Brown Company built the Cascade Mill on the border of

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and Gorham. Corbin became the first superintendent of this new mill. Along with being the superintendent of the Cascade Mill, Corbin became a director in the Berlin National Bank in 1906 and, in 1913, became the president of this bank. In 1931, Corbin became mayor of the city of

, serving until 1932.

Nibroc towels

In 1919, Mr. Corbin, along with Harold Titus and Henry Chase, the Brown Company's first chemist, started to experiment at the Research and Development building to improve the problems of

papermaking Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...

, to include the Nibroc Paper Towels. In 1922, Corbin had completed the first paper towels. Before this, there were only cloth towels but no official paper towel. This paper towel was called “Nibroc”, which is Corbin spelled backwards.

Death and legacy

On October 13, 1951, "the father of paper towels", William E. Corbin, died at his home. He was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in the town of his birth. Nibroc paper towels were produced by the Brown Company until the 1970s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbin, William E. 1951 deaths Paper products Cleaning products American inventors Mayors of places in New Hampshire People from Berlin, New Hampshire 1869 births

Early life and career

Nibroc towels

Death and legacy

See also

References