William Foster Nye
Encyclopedia
William Foster Nye was the businessman that started Nye Lubricants in 1844.
In 1840 at 16 years old, he left his family’s Cape Cod
. He became apprentice to a master carpenter in New Bedford, Massachusetts
. He left New Bedford to build pipe organs in Boston
, took to sea as a ship's carpenter, he worked at an ice house in Calcutta and participated in the California Gold Rush
of 1849. He returned to New Bedford to start an oil and kerosene
business.
He served in the Union Army
, then worked as a sutler
, a traveling merchant. He was the first to set up shop in Richmond
after the defeat of the Confederate Army.
In 1865, he returned again to New Bedford
and the oil
business, first out of the kitchen of his Fairhaven home, then from a small store front in New Bedford. He sold a wide assortment of oils: burning oils, lubricating oils, even castor oil and salad oil. But the market niche he set out to capture was lubricating oils for delicate machinery: watches, clocks, chronometers, and later, sewing machines, typewriters, bicycles and electrical instruments.
He capitalized on the work of New Bedford watch maker Ezra Kelley. Kelley discovered that oil from the jaw and head of the porpoise
and blackfish
proved superior to any other known lubricant for delicate mechanisms, and his oil, which he began selling in 1844, had become a benchmark industry.
Nye became Kelley's chief competitor. He developed his own brand of “fish jaw oil,” but had to overcome strong market resistance to a new brand name. He started at the top. With the help of a trade journal publisher, he persuaded Cross and Beguelin, a leading manufacturer of watch and clock components in New York, to try his new formulation. Impressed with its quality, they adopted it as their own, and word about Nye's oil quickly spread throughout the industry.
Within ten years, Nye had acquired Ezra Kelley's company and moved from his small, rented storefront to his own stone factory on Fish Island, Massachusetts
.
He died on August 12, 1910.
Biography
He was born in 1824.In 1840 at 16 years old, he left his family’s Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. He became apprentice to a master carpenter in New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
. He left New Bedford to build pipe organs in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, took to sea as a ship's carpenter, he worked at an ice house in Calcutta and participated in the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of 1849. He returned to New Bedford to start an oil and kerosene
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
business.
He served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, then worked as a sutler
Sutler
A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters. The sutler sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, allowing them to travel along with an army or to remote military outposts...
, a traveling merchant. He was the first to set up shop in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
after the defeat of the Confederate Army.
In 1865, he returned again to New Bedford
New Bedford
-Places:*New Bedford, Illinois*New Bedford, Massachusetts, the most populous New Bedford**New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park*New Bedford, New Jersey *New Bedford, Ohio*New Bedford, Pennsylvania...
and the oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
business, first out of the kitchen of his Fairhaven home, then from a small store front in New Bedford. He sold a wide assortment of oils: burning oils, lubricating oils, even castor oil and salad oil. But the market niche he set out to capture was lubricating oils for delicate machinery: watches, clocks, chronometers, and later, sewing machines, typewriters, bicycles and electrical instruments.
He capitalized on the work of New Bedford watch maker Ezra Kelley. Kelley discovered that oil from the jaw and head of the porpoise
Porpoise
Porpoises are small cetaceans of the family Phocoenidae; they are related to whales and dolphins. They are distinct from dolphins, although the word "porpoise" has been used to refer to any small dolphin, especially by sailors and fishermen...
and blackfish
Blackfish
Blackfish may refer to:* Several kinds of fish:** Alaska blackfish, Dallia pectoralis.** Black sea bass, Centropristis striata.** Sacramento blackfish, Orthodon microlepidotus.** Tautog, Tautoga onitis.** Parore, Girella tricuspidata....
proved superior to any other known lubricant for delicate mechanisms, and his oil, which he began selling in 1844, had become a benchmark industry.
Nye became Kelley's chief competitor. He developed his own brand of “fish jaw oil,” but had to overcome strong market resistance to a new brand name. He started at the top. With the help of a trade journal publisher, he persuaded Cross and Beguelin, a leading manufacturer of watch and clock components in New York, to try his new formulation. Impressed with its quality, they adopted it as their own, and word about Nye's oil quickly spread throughout the industry.
Within ten years, Nye had acquired Ezra Kelley's company and moved from his small, rented storefront to his own stone factory on Fish Island, Massachusetts
Fish Island, Massachusetts
Fish Island is an island in Massachusetts, United States of America. The island is located by New Bedford.The USRC Salmon P. Chase was at one time moored here, where she served as a berthing area for the cadets.-See also:...
.
He died on August 12, 1910.