| Willis Sharpe Kilmer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | October 18, 1869 |
| Died | July 12, 1940 (aged 70) |
| Residence | Binghamton, NY |
| Nationality | United States |
| Education | Cornell University |
| Occupation | advertising, newspaperman, horse breeder, and entrepreneur |
| Home town | Binghamton, New York |
| Net worth | $10-$15 million in 1940 |
| Parents | Jonas M. Kilmer, Julia Sharpe Kilmer |
| Relatives | Dr. Sylvester Andral Kilmer, Joyce Kilmer |
Willis Sharpe Kilmer (October 18, 1869 - July 12, 1940), son of Jonas M. Kilmer and Julia E. Sharpe, was a marketing pioneer, newspaperman, and horse breeder. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he attended Cornell University for several years until 1880. Kilmer was perhaps best known for advertising and promoting his Uncle's Swamp Root formula until it became a household name. Dr. S. Andral Kilmer invented the formula and invited his brother Jonas to run the business end of the company in 1881. Jonas, operating out of the six story Kilmer building, at Chenango & Lewis Streets in Binghamton, NY, would later buy out his brother and bring in his son Willis to handle the marketing and advertising. Swamp Root was never advertised as a cure all. From the beginning it was sold as a specific tonic and advertised as "The Great Dr. Kilmer's Swamp Root Kidney, Liver, & Bladder Cure."
He was extensively involved in real estate, owning a family mansion in Binghamton, New York, the twelve story Press Building in downtown Binghamton, where he ran the The Binghamton Press Co., considered the official newspaper for the City of Binghamton, and three racing stables and estates: Sun Briar Court in Binghamton, Court Manor in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and Remlik, on the banks of Virginia's Rappahannock River. Kilmer's private yacht Remlik was purchased by the US Navy during World War I and converted into the USS Remlik, the name being Kilmer spelled backwards. Kilmer died in 1940 from pneumonia having amassed a fortune of some $15 million, mostly from the sale of the patent medicine Swamp Root tonic, which is still for sale today.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Thoroughbred racing
Kilmer was the breeder of Reigh Count, the winner of the 1928 Kentucky Derby. He was the owner of Exterminator, the winner of the 1918 Kentucky Derby and 1922 American Horse of the Year, and the breeder and owner of Sun Beau, the largest money maker until Seabiscuit in 1939. Both Exterminator and Sun Beau were elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
See also
References
- ^ Golley, John E. "The Kilmer's of Binghamton New York".
- ^ "The USS Remlik and the Medal of Honor by Dan Gill".
- ^ "Famous Residents of Binghamton's West Side".
- ^ "Renovation of the Kilmer Building".
- ^ "The Life & Times of Willis Sharpe Kilmer Part 1".
- ^ "The Life & Times of Willis Sharpe Kilmer Part 2".
- ^ "Funeral of Willis Sharpe Kilmer".
- ^ "Sun Briar's Obituary".
- ^ "Exterminator's Obituary".
- ^ "Sun Briar, Exterminator & Suntica's Headstone".
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