Emerson Drug Company
| Isaac Edward Emerson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 24, 1859 Chatham County, North Carolina |
| Died | January 23, 1931 (aged 71) Baltimore, Maryland |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina |
| Known for | Creating Bromo-Seltzer |
| Spouse(s) |
Emelie Askew Dunn (m. 1880–1911) Anne Preston McCormack (m. 1911–31) |
| Children | Margaret Emerson Margaret "Daisy" Dunn |
| Relatives |
Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt I (son-in-law) Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt II (grandson) George Washington Vanderbilt III (grandson) Gloria Baker (granddaughter) |
Captain Isaac Edward Emerson (1859–1931) was a wealthy American businessman, socialite, and seaman. He is most notable for having created the headache remedy Bromo-Seltzer upon which his great wealth was based and the reason he was known as the "Bromo-Seltzer King".
Issac Edward Emerson was born in 1859 in Chatham County, North Carolina, the son of a farmer. When his mother died prematurely, he went to live with his aunt and uncle. He later graduated as a chemist from the University of North Carolina in 1879.
In 1880, he moved to Baltimore and opened a small drug store where he developed a formula for a headache remedy. He patented the formula, named it Bromo-Seltzer and began marketing it. In 1887, he formed the Emerson Drug Company and, recognizing the importance of advertising in selling products, undertook worldwide ad campaigns in newspaper, magazine, in-store ads and on radio which rocketed the sales of Bromo-Seltzer and other products producing his great wealth.
In 1911, Emerson built the Emerson Bromo-Seltzer Tower, a well-known landmark in Baltimore, Maryland. The tower originally featured a 51-foot revolving Bromo-Seltzer bottle on top and was the tallest building in Baltimore until 1923. He built the Emerson Hotel. He was controlling owner of the Maryland Glass Corporation, which made the blue glass bottles for his Bromo-Seltzer medication.
In 1884, he earned the title of "captain" when he organized the Maryland Naval Reserves, which he commanded until 1901. He was thereafter known as "Captain Emerson" or "Captain Ike." He also personally financed an entire Naval Squadron during the Spanish–American War and was commissioned a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. Emerson later owned several yachts, including the Susquelanna, the Margaret, and the Queen Anne. These were used for extensive world travel as well as for social entertaining and hunting expeditions.
In 1880, just after graduating college, he married Emelie Askew Dunn, the eldest daughter of Colonel William Franklin Askew of Raleigh, North Carolina. They had one child:
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