Wrigley, William, 1861-1932

Variant names

Hide Profile

William Wrigley Jr. (September 30, 1861 – January 26, 1932) was an American chewing gum industrialist. He founded the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1891. In 1891, Wrigley moved from Philadelphia to Chicago to go into business for himself making chewing gum.

Wrigley played an instrumental role in the development of Santa Catalina Island, California. He bought a controlling interest in the Santa Catalina Island Company in 1919. Wrigley improved the island with public utilities, new steamships, a hotel, the Casino building, and extensive plantings of trees, shrubs, and flowers.

In 1916, Wrigley bought a minority stake in the Chicago Cubs baseball team; by 1921 he became the majority owner. Wrigley Field, the Cubs' ballpark in Chicago, was renamed for him in 1926.

Archival Resources

Person

Birth 1861-09-30

Death 1932-01-26

Male

Illinoisians

English

Information

Permalink: http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jw9jg2

Ark ID: w6jw9jg2

SNAC ID: 1925940