William Mills Wrigley Jr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 30, 1861, the son of Mary Ann (née Ladley) and William Mills Wrigley Sr. His family were Quakers of English descent.
In 1891, Wrigley moved from Philadelphia to Chicago to go into business for himself.
He had $32 to his name ($931 in 2021 money)...
Back then, 1891 Silver was $0.69 an ounce, which people could buy 46 ounces of Silver. Today, that 46 ounces of Silver is valued at $1,288.00
...and with it he formed a business to sell Wrigley's Scouring Soap. He offered customers small premiums, particularly baking powder, as an incentive to buy his soap. Finding the baking powder was more popular than his soap, Wrigley switched to selling baking powder, and giving his customers two packages of chewing gum for each can of baking powder they purchased. Again, Wrigley found that the premium he offered was more popular than his base product, and his company began to
concentrate on the manufacture and sale of chewing gum. In this business, Wrigley made his name and fortune.
