The Founder
Few American companies are as iconic as Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. The acquisition of the company by Mars Inc. will be the end of independence for Wrigley, which has been family controlled for four generations. William Wrigley Jr. started in 1891, first selling soap, then baking powder, and giving away gum to help sales. The gum proved more popular.
The Landmark
The company's corporate headquarters, the Wrigley Building, completed in 1924, is one of the landmarks of downtown Chicago. The glazed terra-cotta building was modeled after the the Giralda tower of Seville's Cathedral.
Mint Marketing
Early on, Wrigley understood the importance of advertising, as this postcard showing an electronic sign on Broadway in Manhattan attests.
The Son
When Philip Wrigley, son of the company's founder, took over as president in 1921, Wrigley was selling more than 9 billion sticks of gum a year. It had two-thirds of the U.S. gum market. Philip was also known for starting a women's professional baseball league during World War II, an effort portrayed in the 1992 movie "A League of Their Own."
An American Icon
Wrigley's became an American brand recognized around the world. Children on their way to a Christmas party cavort aboard a double-decker bus in London in 1931.
Going Global
As Wrigley entered new markets, it adapted to local tastes. A billboard in Beijing advertises a melon-cantaloupe-flavored-gum that comes in plastic bottles.
Ivy and Heartbreak
The Wrigley family has not owned the Chicago Cubs since 1981, but its name has remained on the Cubs' home. That may change soon. Sam Zell, who acquired the Cubs with the Tribune Co. last year, plans to sell the stadium. The Cubs have not won the World Series since 1908.
The Legacy
William Wrigley Jr. bought most of Santa Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles in 1919 and promoted its preservation. A memorial on the island honors his memory.
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