William Hesketh Lever Biography

William Hesketh Lever

Lever and his brother, James Darcy Lever, turned the soap-making world vegetarian when they introduced a new method of making bubble bars. In 1886 they began using vegetable oils to generate lather, then through skillful advertising and attention to the needs of both the consumer and his work force, grew the business into a national enterprise. His philanthropic endeavors include endowing a school of tropical medicine for Liverpool University and founding the model industrial town of Port Sunlight.