William Procter
Co-founder 1837Background
English candlemaker who co-founded P&G in Cincinnati in 1837.
Role at The Procter & Gamble Company
Procter & Gamble possesses arguably the most historic, familial founding story in American corporate history, rooted entirely in the bustling, crucial river trade of 1830s Cincinnati (then known as 'Porkopolis') and defined by a serendipitous marriage arrangement. The company was founded in 1837 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by William Procter (an English immigrant and skilled candlemaker) and James Gamble (an Irish immigrant and skilled soapmaker). Initially they were separate, competitive businessmen operating in the exact same localized market. Their foundational, specific 'eureka' moment was not a business insight, but a complex family dynamic. They accidentally married two close sisters (Olivia and Elizabeth Norris). Their persuasive, influential father-in-law (Alexander Norris) recognized a fundamental business inefficiency: both of his new ambitious sons-in-law competed against each other for the exact same critical raw material (animal fat which was abundant in the huge Cincinnati meatpacking industry, hence the name 'Porkopolis'). He convinced them to stop foolishly competing and merge their specialized operations. They formed Procter & Gamble, immediately achieving economies of scale. Their world-changing corporate pivot occurred during the American Civil War, when they secured lucrative contracts to supply the entire Union Army with soap and candles. In 1879, they revolutionized the industry by inventing 'Ivory Soap' (a pure, brilliant white soap that famously floated, heavily distinguishing it from impure competitor soaps). By translating localized Midwestern family cooperation into national brand dominance, William and James established the foundational architecture of the modern global consumer goods industry.