Industrialist. He was the son of James Gamble, a founding partner of the Procter and Gamble Corporation. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, then studied chemistry for a time at the University of Maryland before returning to work as a chemist at Procter and Gamble. He was the creator of P&G White Soap, which, due to an accidental change in chemical formula, started to float, resulting in the company’s successful launch of Ivory Soap with the advertising slogan “the Soap that Floats.” During the Civil War, he served in a civilian militia called “The Ohio Squirrel Hunters”, who were called up in 1862 when forces of Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith threatened Ohio. When he returned to the family business, his father made him a partner. Active in his community, he attended the Methodist Episcopal Church, assisted the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, joined the Republican Party, served as Mayor of Westwood, Ohio, and was a member of Cincinnati’s Board of Parks Commission. In 1890, Procter and Gamble became a public company, and James Norris Gamble was named vice president. His philanthropic activities supported the YMCA, the University of Cincinnati, and Christ Hospital Institute of Medical Research. He retired in 1912.
Industrialist. He was the son of James Gamble, a founding partner of the Procter and Gamble Corporation. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, then studied chemistry for a time at the University of Maryland before returning to work as a chemist at Procter and Gamble. He was the creator of P&G White Soap, which, due to an accidental change in chemical formula, started to float, resulting in the company’s successful launch of Ivory Soap with the advertising slogan “the Soap that Floats.” During the Civil War, he served in a civilian militia called “The Ohio Squirrel Hunters”, who were called up in 1862 when forces of Confederate general Edmund Kirby Smith threatened Ohio. When he returned to the family business, his father made him a partner. Active in his community, he attended the Methodist Episcopal Church, assisted the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce, joined the Republican Party, served as Mayor of Westwood, Ohio, and was a member of Cincinnati’s Board of Parks Commission. In 1890, Procter and Gamble became a public company, and James Norris Gamble was named vice president. His philanthropic activities supported the YMCA, the University of Cincinnati, and Christ Hospital Institute of Medical Research. He retired in 1912.
Bio by: Eileen Cunningham
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