William Wallace Kincaid (April 26, 1868 – May 19, 1946) was an American entrepreneur, businessman,

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

, and inventor. He was founder of the Spirella Co., manufacturer of

Spirella The name Spirella refers to the Spirella Stay which was invented by Marcus Merritt Beeman in the US in 1904 and made from tightly twisted and flattened coils of wire. The founders were Beeman, William Wallace Kincaid and Jesse Homan Pardee. Or ...

corsets, and served as president of the National Personnel Association''Iron Trade Review,'' Volume 71, Part 2. 1922. p. 1362 and as president of the

American Management Association The American Management Association (AMA) is an American non-profit educational membership organization for the promotion of management, based in New York City. Besides its headquarters there, it has local head offices throughout the world. It o ...

.American Management Association, ''Special Papers'', Nr. 17, 1928. p. 21.

Biography

Youth, education, and early career

Kincaid was born in 1868 in

Wayne Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania Wayne Township is a township in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,540 at the 2020 census, down from 1,659 at the 2010 census, down from 1,766 in 2000. Geography The township is in eastern Erie County, bordered to t ...

, son of Reverend John S. Kincaid and Margaretta (Tuttle) Kincaid.Edward Theodore Williams. ''Niagara County, New York: One of the Most Wonderful Regions in the World; a Concise Record of Her Progress and People, 1821–1921, Published During Its Centennial Year, Volume 2.'' J. H. Beers, 1921. p. 561.Lewis Randolph Hamersly, John William Leonard, William Frederick Mohr. ''Who's who in New York City and State.'' Volume 9. 1992. p. 953 He graduated from the High School in Corry, Pennsylvania in 1887. After his graduation in 1887 Kincaid started as a book canvasser, and in 1896 entered the publishing business. In 1904 he founded Spirella Co., Inc., a

corset A corset is a support garment commonly worn to hold and train the torso into a desired shape, traditionally a smaller waist or larger bottom, for aesthetic or medical purposes (either for the duration of wearing it or with a more lasting effe ...

manufacturer in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

. In the same city he became counsellor of the national chamber and president of the Niagara Falls chamber.

Further career

In 1908 Kincaid started expanding his company abroad. He founded The Spirella Co. of Canada Ltd. in

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

in 1908, The Spirella Co. of Great Britain Ltd. in

Letchworth Letchworth Garden City, commonly known as Letchworth, is a town in the North Hertfordshire district of Hertfordshire, England. It is noted for being the first garden city. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 33,249. Letchworth ...

in Hertfordshire, England in 1909, and the Korsettfabriken Spirella Aktiebolag in Germany in 1920. Before and after World War I, Kincaid represented the

United States Chamber of Commerce The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urging ...

on the international check committee in London, in 1914, 1920 and 1921, and served as delegate to the

International Chamber of Commerce The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC; French: ''Chambre de commerce internationale'') is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its over 45 million members in over 100 countries have interests spanning every s ...

. Back in the States he served as president of the National Personnel Association in 1922, and as president of the

in 1928 as successor of

Frank L. Sweetser Frank Loel Sweetser (June 2, 1873 – December 17, 1953) was an American pioneer management consultant, business executive, and organizational theorist. He was general manager of the Dutchess Manufacturing Company, and served as president of the Am ...

Personal

Kincaid married Clara Elizabeth Greenley on May 28, 1894.

Selected publications

;Articles, a selection * Kincaid, W. W. "Requirements of the Educational and Non-Theatrical Entertainment Field." ''Transactions of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers'' 8.18 (1924): 111–118. * American Management Association, and William Wallace Kincaid. ''Co-ordination of Executive Activities, the Major Management Problem.'' 1923. * Kincaid, William Wallace. "Canadian-American Friendship." ''New York History'' 18.1 (1937): 41–43. ;Patents, a selection * Kincaid, William W. "Rubber hose." U.S. Patent No. 1,206,230. November 28, 1916. * Kincaid, Walter W. "Automatic gate." U.S. Patent No. 1,944,349. January 23, 1934.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kincaid, William Wallace 1868 births 1946 deaths American business executives 20th-century American inventors People from Erie County, Pennsylvania Presidents of the American Management Association