Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-11
ONE IowAN,s SUCCESS.

In the death of William Zeigler
there passed away one of the most re.
markable figures in American bust
ness circles. Mr.. Zeigler was an
1owan. When youth he lived in
Muscatine and it is said that while
clerk in drug store in that city he
evolved the formula for making the
baking powder which brought him
fortune of $30,000,000. However, had
he not realized the Importance of adj
vertisingf and had he not spent for
tune In acquainting the housewives of
the nation with the value Of his bak-
ing powder he would have died poor
man despite his discovery.
Mr.. Zeigler's connection with pub
licity began in a most humble way
when, as boy of Is years, he became
an apprentice in the printing Office Of
the Muscatine Journal. He did not
like printing, apparently, for he SOM
became drug clerk and began at the
bottom of the ladder that finally
brought him to financial success. This
was when the value of quick rising
baking powders was first becoming
known. Zeigler hit upon plan for
making harmless preparation and in
order to introduce it he travelled
through the country, often making
bread with his own hands and waiting
to eat it and rrove it's harmlessness.
But hundred years Of such meth.
DDS could not have brought him sue
cess. 1t was by advertising that he
acquainted the world with the value Of
his preparation, and for years newspa-
pers and magazines have carried the
familiar can and hand advertisements
that have told of his baking powder.
He secured backing, spent his money
judiciously to increase his business
and almost before he knew 1t he was
a millionaire. He never became in.
terested in politics, and though once
offeEed the mayoralty nomination in
Brooklyn he declined. It was in that
city that he made his home after leay.
ing Iowa.
Mr.. Zeigler's advertising in twenty
years cost between $1O,OO0,OO0 and
$15, 100000. Mr. Zeigler is reported to
have said at one time that his COM
pany might save half million dollars
by stopping all it's advertising twelve
months, but that it would then cost a
million or more to regain the lost mo-
mentum. His success is an illustra-
ton Of the benefits to be derived from
publicity.
For nearly twenty years before his
death Mr. Zeigler was interested in Ger.
tain broad public measures. When
an attempt was made by corrupt poll.
ticians to control the water supply Of
Brooklyn and no one seemed powerful
enough to prevent them, he took the
part of the city and saved not only its
water rights, but several millions of
dollars. About 1897 he became inter-
ested in the subject Of polar explo-
ration and fitted up the expedition iden.
titled with his name under command Of
Evelyn B. Baldwin This was fail
ure through incompetence of the lead :
er, but a second party is now in the
Arctic zone Some time ago Mr. Zeig-
Ter was indicted in Missouri on a
charge of having furnished money to
further the passage of bill in the in
terests of his business in that state.
The matter was widely taken up, and
a history Of the case given in maya
zine among series of articles on cor
ruption. The whole case was traced
to enmity on the part of Baldwin, the
deposed leader Of the first Arctic ex-
petition, however. and when hearing
was held before the governor of New
York state, on the motion for extradi-
ton papers that would deliver Mr..
Zeigler to the Missouri authorities, he
was fully cleared. The lack Of evil
dence in the case was the subject of
much caustic comment by the attor.
ney general of New York