Isaac Edward Emerson was born in Chatham County, N.C., in 1859. His family moved to Chapel Hill in 1868. Emerson was graduated from the University of North Carolina as a chemist in 1879. He worked out and patented the formula for Bromo-Seltzer, a headache remedy, upon which Emerson's immense wealth was based. Emerson organized the Emerson Drug Company; built the Emerson Hotel; was president of the Citro Chemical Works of America, Maywood N.J.; chair of the American Bromine Company; and controlling owner of the Maryland Glass Corporation.During the Spanish-American War, he led his own naval force, earning the rank of captain. His daughter was Margaret Emerson McKim Vanderbilt Baker Amory, the Vanderbilt being Alfred G. Vanderbilt, who went down with the Lusitania in 1915. Margaret's daughter Gloria Baker was one of the nation's most popular and richest women when she made her 1938 society debut. Business, yachting, and other materials relating chiefly to Isaac Edward Emerson, his family, and his business interests, especially Bromo- Seltzer. Business papers, 1894-1919 and undated, relate chiefly to the Emerson Drug Company and include statements in 1896 and 1901 about cases in which people wanting to buy Bromo-Seltzer were given generaic substitutes instead. Materials 1918-1919 relate to the American Bromine Company and Citro Chemical Works of America. Among the undated materials is a speech Emerson gave about why he chose to build the Emerson Hotel.Yachting papers are largely letters, legal documents, and other items relating to the purchase and outfitting of Emerson's yachts. Other materials include an Emerson family tree and pictures of Isaac Edward Emerson. There is also a scrapbook with clippings and a few photographs and other items, 1929-1947 and undated, chiefly relating to Isaac Edward Emerson's career; Emerson family members, especially Gloria Baker; and Bromo-Seltzer and other products.
