Thomas Adams (chewing gum maker)

Thomas Adams (May 4, 1818 – February 7, 1905) was a 19th-century American scientist and inventor who is regarded as a founder of the chewing gum industry. He eventually joined with well-known chewing gum maker William Wrigley. Wrigley's Chewing Gum Factory was built on Staten Island in 1909 when local chemist Louis A. Dreyfus enhanced the product.

Adams Pepsin Tutti Frutti Gum

An advertisement of Adams chewing gum

Adams conceived the idea while working as a secretary to former Mexican leader Antonio López de Santa Anna, who chewed a natural gum called chicle. Adams first tried to formulate the gum into a rubber suitable for tires. When that didn't work, he made the chicle into a chewing gum called Chiclets.[1][2]

References

"Thomas Adams Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. February 8, 1905. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
"Staten Island on the Web: Famous Staten Islanders". New York Public Library. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009.

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[1] "Thomas Adams Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. February 8, 1905. Retrieved August 14, 2017.

[2] "Staten Island on the Web: Famous Staten Islanders". New York Public Library. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009.