Charles H. Brower
| Charles H. Brower | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Charles Hendrickson Brower November 13, 1901 Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | July 23, 1984 (aged 82) Brielle, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Advertising executive |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Elizabeth Brower (nee Nelson) |
| Children | Brock H. Brower, Charles N. Brower, Anne C. Brower |
| Parent(s) | Charles Hendrick Brower |
Charles Hendrickson Brower (November 13, 1901 – July 23, 1984) was an American advertising executive, copywriter, and author.
Charles H. Brower was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey and came from a long line of Dutch New Jersey farmers. His father, Charles Hendrick Brower, was an insurance agent and owner of two butcher shops. In 1903 his father sold the butcher shops and purchased a ranch near Pasadena, California. After the ranch failed, the family moved to Pasadena and lived there a few years.
In Pasadena Charles Brower first attended Columbia Grammar School, and then the Pasadena High School, specializing in agriculture. He also worked as a paperboy for the Los Angeles Examiner. During his junior year in high school his parents inherited some money from an uncle and moved back to New Jersey, settling in Freehold, where Charles Brower attended the local high school. Being tall (6'4") and weighing more than 200 pounds he played center on the football team.
He entered Rutgers on a scholarship to study agriculture, he then changed his major to physics, and then once again to English. He graduated from Rutgers College (NJ) in 1925 with a Bachelor of Science in English.
After graduation he worked as a teacher of English in Middlesex County Vocational School, and then as a full-time teacher at the Bound Brook High School in New Jersey. Though he liked teaching, he did not like the salary it provided, and began a search for a different career path. He worked briefly in Boston as a trainee adjuster for a casualty insurance company, and then as an assistant advertising manager at Pacific Mills.
On July 8, 1930, Brower married Marry Elizabeth Nelson. They had three children, Brock H. Brower (1931-2014) a journalist and novelist; Charles N. Brower a lawyer and international arbitrator; and Anne C. Brower a radiologist and ordained Episcopal minister (193?-2013).
When Brower first applied for a copyrighter position in George Batten Company he was not hired. He waited another 18 months before applying again, when he was interviewed and hired by William Benton. Benton, who later cofounded the Benton and Bowles agency, was fired from the company before Brower could start and didn't leave any written notice of hiring Brower. However, after showing up for work every day for three weeks he officially joined the advertising firm of George Batten Co., in 1928, just before its merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn. of Batten. The first advertisement he wrote at the agency was for Paniplus, a hygroscopic agent which drew moisture from the air and was used by industrial bakers to keep bread moist. His headline read "Cut Losses from Stales".
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