James F. Boyce, Sr.
| James F Boyce | |
|---|---|
| Born |
November 15, 1868 Chicago, Illinois USA |
| Died | June 2, 1935 (aged 66) Saugatuck, Michigan |
| Resting place | Gibson Cemetery Laketown Township Allegan County Michigan |
| Residence | 'Kemah' estate |
| Occupation | industrial chemist |
| Employer | N. K. Fairbank |
| Known for | Industrial hydrogenation procedure |
| Spouse(s) | Mable Hannah Thompson (m. 22 June 1899) |
| Children | nine children |
| Parent(s) | Joseph Boyce and Mary Barre |
James F. Boyce (November 15, 1868 – June 2, 1935) was an American chemist who contributed to the manufacture of soaps and detergents. He pioneered techniques now used in the isolation and removal of consumable hydrogenated vegetable oils from plants, especially cottonseed. Later in life, he ran the Chicago Glass Novelty Company.
Boyce was born in Chicago, Illinois to Joseph (1832–1889) and Mary Barre Boyce (1834–1925), both mid-century immigrants to New York City.
Boyce's successful work as a commercial chemist allowed him to move to the somewhat exclusive Hyde Park area of Chicago's South Side, where he met Mable Hannah Thompson, whose parents owned a summer estate, 'Kemah', located in Saugatuck, Michigan, in Allegan County. They married June 22, 1899 in Chicago. They had nine children. Early in the twentieth century the family relocated to a fruit farm near Saugatuck.
In 1889 Boyce began working as a chemist for the industrialist, Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank. He quickly rose to the rank of foreman at the N.K. Fairbank Soap Company of Chicago. Boyce had his first career success as the supervising chemist in the formulation of Gold Dust Washing Powder, an all purpose cleaning agent first introduced in 1889. Initially a regional success, the brand quickly rose to national prominence. The product's mascots, the iconic Gold Dust Twins, were featured in print, written and eventually radio ads. The twins, "Goldie" and "Dustie," made an easily recognizable trademark found in most U.S. homes during the first half of the twentieth century, even spawning a radio program in 1929, the Gold Dust Twins Radio Show. Gold Dust was distributed in the U.S. and Canada by the Lever Brothers Company.
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