George Gill Green
Encyclopedia
Patent medicine
Patent medicine refers to medical compounds of questionable effectiveness sold under a variety of names and labels. The term "patent medicine" is somewhat of a misnomer because, in most cases, although many of the products were trademarked, they were never patented...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, and Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
He was born in Clarksboro, New Jersey
Clarksboro, New Jersey
Clarksboro is a historic area of Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States located in the existing municipality of East Greenwich Township.-Birthplace:*Hardy Richardson, former major league baseball player...
to Ellen (1826-?) and Lewis M. Green (1818-1894). George's mother was from Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and his father was working as a butcher. George attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
medical school for two years, but left in 1864 before he graduated. He enlisted in the 142d Regiment, Illinois Volunteers during the Civil War. In 1867 he started a wholesale drug business in Baltimore, Maryland but the factory was destroyed by a fire. He moved to Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and married Angie Brown and had their first child there. They moved to Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....
on Thanksgiving Day; November 23, 1872. They had a son: George Gill Green II (1883-1971) who was born on January 17, 1883 and died in January 1971.
George bought the rights to "Green's August Flower" and "Dr. Boschee's German Syrup" from his father, Lewis M. Green (1818-?), who sold the elixir under the name "L.M. Green". George created a marketing campaign involving mass mailings of free samples, and the distribution of thousands of his almanacs. Both elixirs were mostly laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
. He became a millionaire and in 1880 he built Woodbury's Opera House. In 1898 he built the Castle Green
Hotel Green
Historical information with regards to the fire that brought the old Hotel Green wooden structure down, is credited to the book Haunted Houses of Pasadena by Michael J. Kouri, a well known historian and Parapsychological Investigator....
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
as an annex to his Hotel Green
Hotel Green
Historical information with regards to the fire that brought the old Hotel Green wooden structure down, is credited to the book Haunted Houses of Pasadena by Michael J. Kouri, a well known historian and Parapsychological Investigator....
. Hotel Green is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, the California State Historic Register, and the City of Pasadena Register of City Treasures. He also had a summer home at Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong
Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in the state of New Jersey, USA, approximately 4 square miles in area. The lake is located in the mountains of northern New Jersey, north of Netcong and along the border between Sussex and Morris counties.The lake is within the borders of four...
. His patent medicine
Patent medicine
Patent medicine refers to medical compounds of questionable effectiveness sold under a variety of names and labels. The term "patent medicine" is somewhat of a misnomer because, in most cases, although many of the products were trademarked, they were never patented...
business declined after the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of June 30, 1906, is a United States federal law that provided federal inspection of meat products and forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of adulterated food products and poisonous patent medicines...
in 1906 and by 1916 the products were discontinued. He died in Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury, New Jersey
Woodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....
on February 26, 1925.
Timeline
- 1842 Birth of George Gill Green on January 16
- 1864 Leaves the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
before graduation - 1867 Move to Baltimore, Maryland
- 1883 Birth of George Gill Green II, his son on January 17
- 1894 Death of Lewis M. Green, his father, on January 26
- 1898 Built the Hotel GreenHotel GreenHistorical information with regards to the fire that brought the old Hotel Green wooden structure down, is credited to the book Haunted Houses of Pasadena by Michael J. Kouri, a well known historian and Parapsychological Investigator....
now called the Castle Green in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, CaliforniaPasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet... - 1925 Death of George Gill Green on February 26
See also
- 1850 US Census of Woodbury, New JerseyWoodbury, New JerseyWoodbury is a city in Gloucester County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, 10,307 residents were counted. Woodbury is the county seat of Gloucester County....
- 1880 US Census of Woodbury, New Jersey
- 1900 US Census of Woodbury, New Jersey
- 1920 US Census of Woodbury, New Jersey
Publications
- G.G. Green's Diary & Almanc (first produced in 1878, printed millions of copies each year, distributed all over the world, produced until 1916)
- George G. Green; Wit and Wisdom (1887)
External links
Further reading
- Karen Reeds; A State of Health: New Jersey's Medical Heritage; New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press (2001)
- Encyclopedia of New JerseyEncyclopedia of New JerseyThe Encyclopedia of New Jersey is edited by Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen and contains around 3,000 original articles, along with 585 illustrations and 130 maps. It was published in 2004 by Rutgers University Press, with ISBN 0813533252....