Ulises Villa
Mr. Skipper
Encounters 7
March 5, 2023
Gillette
Introduction
“The best a man can get”. The slogan of this very famous and important company named Gillette. You may have heard about it but you could learn even more about how this company came to be, and who the inventor is. Gillette has become a worldwide brand, which is well-known to offer high-quality shaving products. But there is more to Gillette than what meets the eye. Gillette is the manufacturer of the world’s leading disposable razor and blade company. Ever since the company was established in 1904, it has played an important role in the shaving world and even won over millions of customers. Gillette comes up with many innovations, such as sharpening the blade, precise cutting, and improved lubrication. In the years to come, Gillette is going to be at the forefront of technological progress with new products and processes.
Early Life
King C. Gillette had a very interesting childhood. King C. Gillette was born on January 5, 1855, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and was raised in Chicago. George Wolcott Gillette and George Wolcott Gillette were the parents of King C. Gillette. (nndb) His father, George Wolcott Gillette, was born in March 1824 in New York and was described as a gifted thinker. His occupation was an editor. His mother, Fanny Lemira Camp was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in June 1827. Her occupation was an Author and she wrote and published the "White House CookBook" in 1887, which sold millions of copies. His family survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. (UH Edu) While King was working as a salesman for the Crown Cork and Seal Company in the 1890s King had seen the bottle caps, with the cork seal being sold. They would be thrown away right after the bottle was opened. That made him realize the value in business on a product that was used a couple of times, which would then be discarded. That is where he gained the idea of making razors. Men would shave with razors that need sharpening daily using a leather strop used as a straight razor. (allure)
Gillette's Career
King’s career was exciting. One morning while shaving, his face covered with warm soap, he conceived the disposable razor blade and got an idea. That same day, Gillette rushed to the store and bought some steel ribbon, some pieces of brass, and a small vise, and began making a model of his razor. Gillette wanted to create a product that would be used, disposed of, then bought again. Razors were expensive so men would typically use the same one for their entire life. “Moreover, the blade had to be sharpened before each use.”[NIHF] He had trouble for years trying to find the perfect way to make a blade that was cheap and made from a thin piece of metal that could be thrown away once it got dull. “He worked with inventor William Nickerson, who helped improve Gillette's design and built a machine that would harden, hone, grind, and sharpen the blades.”[NIHF]
Gillette’s Accomplishments
Gillette's safety razor was the main razor that the U.S. military had issued after shaving kits were given to all its soldiers during the first World War. By 1926, the Gillette Company produced 2.1 million blades each day, and men rarely went to barbers for a shave. He had invented the ” best-selling safety razor.” Gillette knew that the principal function of a safety razor is to be a reliable shave. His most accomplished accomplishment was that he “saved men from barbers.” The Gillette Company was growing from a $2 million annual revenue company in the 1920s to one that surpassed $100 million in sales by 1952. In 1960, the Gillette Company merged with Warner-Vogue, and Gillette had its company headquarters in nearby New York. Gillette continued to be recognized as a founding father of the safety razor industry, and there are more than 250 patents registered by Gillette for the manufacture of modern shaving products and the design of its razor, including those for both razors and shaving creams. After Gillette's retirement in 1939, the Gillette company kept growing. Gillette personally established Gillette University in 1940. He donated $500,000 of his funds to establish the Gillette Foundation, which gave grants to educational institutions. Gillette Hall, named after Gillette, is one of the five iconic buildings on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Gillette also helped start various American colleges, as well as Oxford and Cambridge Universities in England and the University of Milan in Italy. Gillette held positions in leadership positions, in particular President of Gillette College, now known as Hamilton College, in Clinton, New York, from 1916 to 1924. In 1922, Gillette joined the Board of Trustees of the Gillette College Foundation. He became President of the Foundation in 1935. By 1939, he was Chairman of the Board. By 1959, Gillette gave more than $3 million to charity. He was named to the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans.
Gillette’s Impact
King C. Gillette had a big impact on the world. The razors had become a main staple of shaving products and men's hygiene care alike. Every teenage boy knew Gillette from the television commercials. He revolutionized shaving and the hair industry. If you have never shaved before or if you are someone that doesn't like shaving because it is a pain, his job was very clear. Gillette gave men a way to shave without having to worry about cutting themselves and made it an effective everyday habit. His impact is still being felt today as his razor blade business is still a leader in its own right. Gillette dominated the razor market by continuously coming up with innovations. Gillette came out with the original razor blade in 1893 that separated the blade from the handle. It was so innovative that other manufacturers copied him. Gillette went on to develop other razors and eventually expanded the brand to include razors and other skin care products. He brought the company public in 1906 and within a year, the company had reached the million-dollar mark. It was now time to start making Gillette razors that could keep up with the growing demand.
The Role Model Gillette
King C. Gillette was a good role model. He understood the work ethic to become successful, motivated others, and was humble and generous. He was very worthy of being someone you could look up to. There were a lot of things you should apply to your life. Being creative is one thing, he went from working at a cork company to becoming the owner of a very successful company and making it a big business. Just by getting an idea. His success is a pavement to show that you could have ideas and apply yourself, apply yourself, and work for success. The result is there if you work for it. If you want something, you have to go for it. If you put in 100% effort, then it's going to turn out to be more than you can expect. That's exactly what King C. Gillette did. He has inspired many others to do the same and has paved a way for others to be successful too. He was self-made.
Works Cited
Brennen Kilbane “The Wild Story of King Camp Gillette.” allure, September 18th, 2020 www.allure.com/story/king-camp-gillette-razor-founder-history
‘’King Gillette.”nndb, Soylent Communications www.nndb.com/people/124/000178587
Lienard, John. “KING CAMP GILLETTE.” UH Edu, 1988 The Engines of Our Ingenuity, www.uh.edu/engines/epi738.htm.