The history of Parker and its founder George Safford Parker

Today, Parker pens are, of course, an almost luxury item that wants nothing to do with everyday life and simple needs. But at the end of the 19th century, the founder of the company, George Safford Parker, was solving a completely different problem – to give the whole world a writing instrument that would be simple, reliable and convenient.

Writing was invented by the Sumerians 5.5 thousand years ago, when there was practically nothing to write on. Pointed wooden sticks and clay tablets were used.

About 2.5 thousand years ago the first fountain pens appeared. They were called feather feathers because they were natural feathers – goose feathers. The Spaniards learned to cut them at the ends so they could then dip them in ink.

In the 1830s, the first metal fountain pens appeared, which, like quills, had to be dipped in ink. They were much more durable, but not much more convenient. Every now and then they tried to either put an inkblot or not write at all.

And at the end of the 19th century, there was still practically nothing to write by hand in a way that did not cause constant problems. This irritated everyone, of course, but only George Safford Parker, whose hands would eventually conquer the whole world and end wars with peace, undertook to solve the problem.

From torment and wreckage

An American young man from Shallsburg (Wisconsin) entered the Valentine Brothers Telegraphy School in Janesville (also Wisconsin) in 1880. George was 17 years old at that time, and telegraph schools provided higher technical education and opened the way to a field of professional activity that was in demand at that time. Their training lasted a year or two. George completed the year, showing himself to be a capable student.

Training was easy for him, if you do not take into account the eternal headache of students of the School of Telegraphy – fountain pens, which were used to write the final version of telegrams. Pens constantly stained the paper, forcing me to do all the work again.

George Parker, after studying in Janesville, went to work as a telegraph operator for the Milwaukee Railroad. But his stay there was short-lived. He soon returned to his alma mater, where he got a job at the John Holland Pen Company, one of the pioneers in the American pen market. John Holland’s company relied on a network of sales representatives and resellers. One of them was young George Parker.

Parker didn’t have to look for buyers—they were literally right in front of his nose. His students. However, John Holland’s pens were little better than those already used to write at the School of Telegraphy. All the same blots on paper and frequent breakdowns.

Parker ended up fixing what he sold himself. But he quickly got tired of it. “Always being of a more or less inventive mind, I set about improving Holland pens. I bought a file, a small scroll saw and other supplies needed to make the feeder (ink – “Kommersant”), which would have worked better than the imperfect Holland pen at that time,” George himself recalled. And in 1888 he created his first fountain pen. The improvement was simple yet effective: a slit along the metal nib, which was now split in two, allowed ink to flow back into the body of the pen and avoid blots.

“Having repaired a lot of Holland pens, I suddenly realized: if I have to remake Holland pens, why not make a Parker pen?” – George thought.

He ordered the necessary parts from HAGoodrich Co. and started collecting his own Geo-marked pens. S. Parker at home.

In 1889, Parker received his first patent to improve the pen and pen feeder, and in March 1890 – to improve version its own technology. His work as a telegraph operator or teacher in a provincial town was completely eclipsed by George’s new passion. And Parker thought about creating his own company.

But this required funds. You cannot build your own business by assembling pens at home from broken competitor products and purchased spare parts. George asked his father for money – $500 as start-up capital (about $17 thousand in today’s money), but was refused. And Parker turned to his acquaintance William Palmer, an insurance agent and director of the Northwestern Investment and Improvement Company. Palmer agreed to invest $1,000 in Parker’s promising business, becoming an equal owner of the Parker Pen Company. His name appears on par with George’s in the first patents received. Moreover, the president of the company that bore the Parker name was also William Palmer for the first 11 years. Thus was born a company that has been one of the world leaders in the writing instruments market for more than 130 years.

In pursuit of perfection

“The pen can always be made better. And if it’s better than the competition’s pen, then people will definitely buy it.” These words of George Parker became the core of the Parker Pen Co. philosophy. Parker was not only a businessman, but an inventor who, despite his managerial position in the company, was himself setting up a coining machine that made caps and barrels for fountain pens.

He tirelessly continued to improve his product, patenting one breakthrough technology after another. So, in 1894, his company introduced a new ink supply system Lucky Curve, which fully lived up to its name. The ink supply tube was indeed curved, which prevented it from leaking, and this really should be considered a blessing for all fountain pen owners. Lucky Curve was a real success for Parker itself, whose sales of pens increased several times after the introduction of the new technology.

In January 1898, Parker introduced a new creation – and again unique in the world of writing instruments. It was a pen Jointless (“Seamless”). “No broken screws. No attachments. No leaking joints. Perfection,” said Parker’s advertising brochures. “A sour appearance, dirty fingers and stained clothes show a person who has not used a Geo fountain pen. S. Parker”.

The pen was an incredible success, becoming the company’s first product to be advertised abroad. And most importantly, Parker pens were purchased en masse by the US government. They also signed the Treaty of Paris between the United States and Spain in 1898.

In 1899, Parker received a couple more patents related to the improvement of Jointless handles. And since 1900, Parker Pen began to equip its fountain pens with a protective cap. Although it would be more correct to say that there were two caps: the outer one was screwed onto the body of the pen, and the inner one hermetically closed the pen itself.

In 1903, the company introduced a new technology to protect against ink overflow – Spear Head. And in 1905 – a new invention by George Parker personally – a push-button pen refilling system Button Filling System. Nowadays, only writing instrument enthusiasts can appreciate how revolutionary this technology was. Until then, almost all fountain pens were filled using pipettes.

The company gradually expanded, acquired more and more production facilities, bought up related manufacturers of stationery supplies, and developed foreign markets. And in 1918, its annual sales exceeded $1 million for the first time. This amount is equivalent to the current $20 million in annual revenue – an impressive figure, considering that we are talking about the sale of simple writing devices.

In 1931, Parker introduced its last major development during the George Parker era – quick-drying and easy to wash off hands. Quink inkwhich were created under the direction of his son, Kenneth Safford Parker.

Finally, in 1933, the company released a pen Parker Vacumatic with an improved refill mechanism that was capable of holding twice the ink volume of its predecessors on the market. The pen immediately became a bestseller and the crowning achievement of Parker’s career as an inventor.

Unfortunately, that same year, George’s other son, Russell, who also worked for the company, died at the age of 40. George himself fell into a deep depression and retired.

Four years after the death of his son, in 1937, George Parker himself died. He was 73 years old.

World pens

After the death of the founder, Parker continued to improve writing instruments and produce pen models that later became iconic. And the pen, released for the 51st anniversary of the company and given the simple name Parker 51, undoubtedly deserved the title of “pen of the world.” It was with her that US General Dwight Eisenhower signed the act of surrender of Nazi Germany on May 7, 1945, which essentially ended the Second World War. And the act of surrender of Japan, the war with which lasted until September 2, 1945, was signed by American General Douglas MacArthur with the help of Parker Duofold.

The Parker 51 was used by American General Mark Clark in July 1953 to sign the ceasefire agreement that ended the Korean War.

Much later, already in 1973, Parker 75 took part in the signing of the Paris Peace Agreement, which ended the Vietnam War. The pen of the same model, but made to special order from pure silver, was used by US President Ronald Reagan and USSR Secretary General Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1987, when they signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Parker pens were used by many American presidents: John Kennedy, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Since 1962, Parker has been a supplier of pens and inks to the British Royal Household. Former British Prime Minister Theresa May, for example, signed the document on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU with a Parker Duofold pen.

After the death of George Parker, the company itself managed to go through ups and downs, either expanding its scope of activity or getting rid of everything non-core. The company managed to change its registration – first to English, and then to French. For some time it belonged to Gillette, and in 2000 it was purchased by the American manufacturer and distributor of consumer goods Newell Rubbermaid (now Newell Brands).

Kirill Sarkhanyants