William Procter (candlemaker)

William Procter
Born	December 7, 1801 Herefordshire, England, UK [1]
Died	April 4, 1884 (aged 82) Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Nationality	British-American
Occupation	Candlemaker and industrialist founder of Procter & Gamble
Relatives	James Gamble (brother-in-law)

William Procter (December 7, 1801 – April 4, 1884 ^[1]) was an English-born American candlemaker and industrialist, who later emigrated to the USA. He was the founder and co-eponym of Procter & Gamble Company in 1837, along with James Gamble.

Procter emigrated to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1832, where he married Olivia Norris and started his business. At his father-in-law Alexander Norris's suggestion, he joined forces with his brother-in-law, James Gamble, to establish the company that bears their names. His son William Alexander Procter and grandson William Cooper were company presidents.^[2]

Procter is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery,^[3] as is his business partner, James Gamble.

References

1. "William Procter". NNDB. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
2. Davis, Dyer; et al. (May 1, 2004). Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter and Gamble. Harvard Business Press. p. 427. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
3. "Grave burial information" (PDF). Spring Grove Cemetery. Retrieved September 11, 2012.