William Procter (7 December 1801 – 4 April 1884) was an English-born American industrialist and candlemaker who was the co-founder of Procter & Gamble Company in 1837, along with James Gamble.

Early life

A native of England, William Procter was born in

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

and educated at Lucton School. He entered into business in 1818 and was connected with the clothing industry in London in the late 1820s. In 1827, he became acquainted with William Hooper, who urged Procter to emigrate to America. He arrived in the United States in 1830 and began to manufacture candles in New York City. He moved west with his first wife, Martha Peat Procter. She died during their westward journey in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

, in 1832.

Procter & Gamble

Planning only on staying for a short while before resuming his relocation plans, he decided to stay and spent the remainder of his life in Cincinnati. He started his business and married Olivia Norris in 1833. At his father-in-law Alexander Norris's suggestion, he joined forces in 1837 with his brother-in-law, James Gamble, to establish the company that bears their names. The company began to manufacture Ivory soap and profits grew to enormous proportions. His son William Alexander Procter and grandson

William Cooper Procter William Cooper Procter (August 25, 1862 – May 2, 1934) was head of Procter & Gamble from 1907 to 1930 and was the last member of the founding families to lead the company. Biography He was born on August 25, 1862. He was the grandson of Willia ...

were company presidents. Procter is buried in

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...

, as is his business partner, James Gamble.

References

American manufacturing businesspeople British businesspeople Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery Businesspeople from Cincinnati 1801 births 1884 deaths British emigrants to the United States Procter & Gamble people American company founders 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century British businesspeople Candlemakers {{US-business-bio-1800s-stub