Alfred Fuller
Encyclopedia
Alfred Carl Fuller was a Canadian
-born American businessman. He was the original "Fuller Brush Man."
Fuller was born on an Annapolis Valley
farm in Welsford
, Kings County, Nova Scotia
. He moved to Boston
, Massachusetts
in 1903 at the age of 18 to live with his sister. A few years later, in 1906, with a $75.00 investment, he started the Fuller Brush Company
in Hartford, Connecticut
, selling brushes door to door. By 1919, the company had achieved sales of more than $1 million per year.
Fuller Brush went on to be recognized throughout North America, even inspiring two comedy films, The Fuller Brush Man
(1948) and The Fuller Brush Girl
(1950). In 1961 Fuller recorded the secrets to his success on Folkways Records
on an album entitled, Careers in Selling: An Interview with Alfred C. Fuller. The company remained in the Fuller family’s hands until 1968, when it was acquired by Sara Lee Corporation.
, where he and his family spent most summers.
Fuller died in Hartford, Connecticut
and is buried at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Somerset, Nova Scotia.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born American businessman. He was the original "Fuller Brush Man."
Fuller was born on an Annapolis Valley
Annapolis Valley
The Annapolis Valley is a valley and region in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is located in the western part of the Nova Scotia peninsula, formed by a trough between two parallel mountain ranges along the shore of the Bay of Fundy.-Geography:...
farm in Welsford
Welsford, Kings, Nova Scotia
Welsford is a small farming community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Kings County. It is one of two communities in Nova Scotia named after Augustus Frederick Welsford, a Nova Scotian war hero in the Crimean War, the other being Welsford, Pictou County. Nestled at the base of...
, Kings County, Nova Scotia
Kings County, Nova Scotia
Kings County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Kings County is located in central Nova Scotia on the shore of the Bay of Fundy with its northeastern part also forming the western shore of the Minas Basin....
. He moved to 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...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1903 at the age of 18 to live with his sister. A few years later, in 1906, with a $75.00 investment, he started the Fuller Brush Company
Fuller Brush Company
The Fuller Brush Company sells branded and private label products for personal care as well as commercial and household cleaning; it is a subsidiary of CPAC Inc., which since 2007 has been owned by the private equity group Buckingham Capital Partners. Fuller Brush was founded in 1906, by Alfred...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, selling brushes door to door. By 1919, the company had achieved sales of more than $1 million per year.
Fuller Brush went on to be recognized throughout North America, even inspiring two comedy films, The Fuller Brush Man
The Fuller Brush Man
The Fuller Brush Man is a 1948 comedy film starring Red Skelton as a door-to-door salesman for the Fuller Brush Company who becomes a murder suspect.-Cast:*Red Skelton as Red Jones*Janet Blair as Ann Elliott*Don McGuire as Keenan Wallick...
(1948) and The Fuller Brush Girl
The Fuller Brush Girl
The Fuller Brush Girl is a 1950 slapstick comedy starring Lucille Ball and directed by Lloyd Bacon. Animator Frank Tashlin wrote the script. Ball plays a quirky door-to-door cosmetics salesperson for the Fuller Brush Company...
(1950). In 1961 Fuller recorded the secrets to his success on Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
on an album entitled, Careers in Selling: An Interview with Alfred C. Fuller. The company remained in the Fuller family’s hands until 1968, when it was acquired by Sara Lee Corporation.
Personal life
Fuller divorced his wife Evelyn in 1930. Fuller maintained a lifelong connection with his native Nova Scotia, buying a home in YarmouthYarmouth, Nova Scotia
Yarmouth is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world's largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada's highest lobster catch.- History :The townsite may...
, where he and his family spent most summers.
Fuller died in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and is buried at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Somerset, Nova Scotia.
External links
- Fuller Brush Company: About Fuller Brush (some biographical data and a photograph)
- Alfred C. Fuller, The Original Fuller Brush Man ( More on the Fuller Brush Man and his company)