When the rest of the family moved to New York City following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the youngest Gillette son chose to remain in Chicago. At the age of 17, he got a job with a hardware wholesaler and began what would be a legendary career as a traveling salesman and inventor. He enjoyed "tinkering" and tried to invent new products, often without success.
On the road, Gillette used to shave every morning with a Star Safety Razor, which is a heavy, wedge-shaped blade fitted perpendicularly into its handle. Prior to the beginning of the twentieth century, shaving was a nuisance, and sometimes even dangerous.
One morning in 1895, Gillette, now living in Boston, had a revelation. He wanted to produce a very sharp disposable blade on a small plate of sheet steel that could be discarded once the edge became dull. Gillette visited metallurgists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who assured him his idea was impossible.
It took Gillette six years to find an engineer, William Emery Nickerson (an MIT-trained inventor), who could produce the blade that Gillette wanted.
In 1901, Gillette and Nickerson formed the American Safety Razor Company (soon thereafter renamed for Gillette himself). It was established in South Boston, where it remains to this day. Production began two years later. For the first time, razor blades were sold in multiple packages, with the razor handle being a one-time purchase.
Awarded a patent in 1904, Gillette's business was so successful he effectively retired in 1910, while keeping a figurehead position with the Gillette company.
The business continued to grow dramatically. During World War I, the US government issued over three million Gillette razors and tens of millions of blades to all of its servicemen. A razor plus one blade was priced at $5, and 20 blades --each in a decorative wrapper bearing King Gillette's stately visage, printed in ink the color of money--cost $1.
Over the next few decades, Gillette Safety Razor Company expanded its product line, for example, with the introduction of Foamy shaving cream (1953) and Right Guard antiperspirant (1960). Gillette also acquired a number of personal care product (Braun, Oral-B) and writing implement (Parker, Waterman) companies.
Brief biography of King Camp Gillette
