1894-1977
Chewing Gum Executive and Salesman

Opportunity.

During World War II Philip K. Wrigley, the chewing gum manufacturer, seemed an unlikely candidate for success. Initially it seemed that the war would temporarily halt the production of chewing gum, but Wrigley managed to turn it into an opportunity to introduce his company and his product to more people.

Background.

Philip Wrigley was the second child and first son of William Wrigley, Jr. He worked in the family soap factory and eventually moved into sales, where he excelled. In sales, according to Paul M. Angle, his "salient traits — unbounded confidence, flair, imagination, industry, and persistence — paid off." He assumed control of the Wrigley Company in February 1932. In coping with the Depression he departed from his father's politics and cautiously embraced President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, making the Wrigley Company one of the first to sign up...