Businessman, socialite, and seaman. Isaac Edward Emerson was born in Chapel Hill, the son of Robert J. Emerson, a farmer, and his wife, Cornelia Lewis Hudson of Wake County. Because of the early death of his mother, Isaac and his brother, John W., moved into the home of their uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. McDade, in the town of Chapel Hill. Emerson entered The University of North Carolina in 1876 and was graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1879. While a student, he was employed as an assistant in A. B. Roberson's drugstore on the corner of Franklin and Columbia streets. Shortly after graduating, Emerson married the former Mrs. Emily Askew Dunn, daughter of Colonel W. F. Askew of Raleigh. Mrs. Dunn was divorced from a previous marriage. In 1881 the Emersons moved to Baltimore, Md. There Emerson earned the fortune for which he was later known. From 1884 to 1889, he established several drugstores and at some time during this period developed the formula that he later patented as Bromo-Seltzer, a widely known headache remedy. To promote the remedy, he founded the Emerson Drug Company in 1891. The commercial success of Bromo-Seltzer was due in large measure to Emerson's foresight in recognizing the growing importance of advertising. His product was advertised in many countries and in many languages, often by unusual devices. As his wealth increased, he turned from business activities to sports and social pursuits. He purchased several yacht's. including the Susquehanna, the Margaret, and the Queen Anne. These were used for hunting expeditions, social entertainment, and extensive world travel. In 1894 Emerson organized the Maryland Naval Reserves, which he commanded from 1894 to 1901. During the Spanish-American War, he personally financed an entire naval squadron, was commissioned a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and was made assistant to the chief of the Auxiliary Naval Force. The Maryland Reserves elected him captain in 1900, and he was subsequently known as "Captain Emerson" or "Captain Ike." In 1880, just after graduating college, he married Emelie (née Askew) Dunn (1854–1921), the eldest daughter of Harriet J. (née Moore) Askew and Colonel William Franklin Askew of Raleigh, North Carolina. From her first marriage to John K. Dunn, Emelie was the mother of Margaret "Daisy" Dunn (1875–1944), whom Emerson adopted. Daisy was married to J. Mitchell Horner and, later, James McVickar. Before their divorce in 1911, they were the parents of one child: Margaret Emerson (1884–1960). In 1911, he married his second wife, Anne McCormack (née Preston). From this marriage, he gained a stepson and a stepdaughter. Captain Emerson and his wife, Anne, were widely known in American society and in the capitals of Europe. When Emerson's step-daughter, Ethel P. McCormack, married the son of William Gibbs McAdoo, then U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, President Woodrow Wilson attended the reception at the Emerson estate in Brooklandwood, Maryland, off of Falls Road, north of the city. They were also known as lavish entertainers, maintaining two yachts for parties and world tours. They maintained estates at Brookland Wood and their villa Whitehall at Narragansett Pier in Rhode Island as well as in North and South Carolina where they entertained many social leaders of the Atlantic seaboard cities. Mr. Emerson died at his estate "Brookland Wood", he was entombed in the private Emerson Room in the mausoleum at Greenwood Cemetery, Baltimore, MD.