William Colgate (1783–1857) manufacturer

William Colgate was born in Kent, England, on January 25, 1783, the son of a farmer. In 1795, his father, a vocal proponent of the French Revolution, fled England with his family to avoid prosecution. They settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where Colgate was indifferently educated. His family subsequently relocated to Virginia and then New York, while he eventually resettled in Baltimore in 1798 to work as a tallow chandler in the candle-making business. Colgate proved himself both industrious and adept in business matters, and he eventually acquired his own soap works. He sold his company and moved to New York City in 1803 to work for the firm of John Slidell & Company. Colgate eventually rose to business manager there, and in 1806, he founded a new firm, William Colgate & Company. As a businessman, Colgate was cognizant that urban areas required large quantities of soap and candles, and he determined to make his products and service distinct from competitors. For example, he pioneered free home delivery of soap to ensure a steady supply of loyal customers. In 1807, he assumed a partnership with Francis Smith, and the two men profited from the Embargo and Non-Intercourse Acts directed against competing products manufactured in Great Britain. By 1813, Colgate was sufficiently profitable that he bought out his partner’s share, and within four years he was the leading soap manufacturer of the New York region. Four years later he was among the first American soap manufacturers to successfully compete for a share of the European market.

Colgate also distinguished himself from competitors by an incessant willingness to upgrade and improve his line of products for consumers. Soap was then used primarily as a detergent for laundry or cleaning hands. Being made largely from ash and animal fat, it was coarse, abrasive, and smelled bad. In 1820, Colgate began experimenting with starch as a low-cost filler in his hand soap to bring down costs, and he soon became the largest starch manufacturer in the country. Eventually he became one of the first American companies to adopt the European practice of saponification, which introduced new forms of tallow and oils to the soap manufacturing process. In 1829, he copied the European practice of adding perfume to his soap products, thereby increasing their appeal to women, who were his primary consumers. Colgate’s products were considerably successful, and in 1845, he was induced to build a soap-boiling pan with an internal capacity of 43,000 pounds. This was the largest such device in the world at that time and allowed Colgate to further expand both his production rates and markets. In 1847, he brought his son in as a full partner and relocated his business to New Jersey, where he had been producing starch for years. In 1850, he introduced perfumed, high-quality soap products for upscale consumers, which gave his products a greater appeal to the rising middle class. Not surprisingly, Colgate, who did all the bookkeeping, buying, and promotional activity by himself, never suffered a serious business loss.

In addition to business concerns, Colgate further distinguished himself from contemporaries by his personal commitment to philanthropy. A fervent Baptist since 1808, he regularly tithed to church interests and in 1816 helped establish the American Bible Society. In 1832, Colgate partially founded the American Baptist Home Mission Society to preach the Gospel throughout North America. In 1837, he withdrew from the American Bible Society and subsequently founded a new organization, the American and Foreign Bible Society, for religious proselytizing abroad. To that end, in 1850, Colgate funded the first major English-language translation of the Bible since the King James version. He also donated funds to the Hamilton Literary and Theological Seminary, which in 1890 was expanded into present-day Colgate University. Colgate died in New York City on March 25, 1857, the leading soap magnate of his day. As such he made indelible contributions to the rise of personal hygiene for the lower and middle classes and to the expansion of religious instruction in America. In 1928, his firm merged with Palmolive Peet Company, forming one of the largest soap and household product firms in the world.

Further reading

• Brackney, William. The Baptists. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. 
• Everts, William W. William Colgate: The Christian Layman. Philadelphia: American Baptist Publications Society, 1881. 
• Hardin, Shields T. The Colgate Story. New York: Vantage Press, 1959. 
• Williams, Howard D. A History of Colgate University, 1819–1969. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1969. 

John C. Fredriksen