So, in 1979, the inventor of Liquid Paper sold the company to Gillette for $47.5 million, plus a deal for royalties. Share. This cookie is set by Hotjar. She poured herself into the business and her effort soon took a toll. I wanted the product to be absolutely perfect before I distributed it, and it seemed to take so long for that to happen.. This is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. Connects multiple page views by a user into a single Clarity session recording. Born in Saint Joseph's Hospital in downtown Houston, Texas, Nesmith was a self-described "failure . Today's Texas Birthdays. She left her fortune to her son, who took over her foundations that empower striving women. ThoughtCo. For a time, LPC also had not one CEO but a council of three executives who comprised the Office of the President. Twitter. }); That woman was Bette Nesmith Graham, mother of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees musical group. This cookie is set by Hotjar. Overlooked No More: Bette Nesmith Graham, Who Invented Liquid Paper This cookie is set by Microsoft Advertising. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. The plant, as Graham would put it, is still going strong. 100% free. function initCaptchaFormV2() { This article contains incorrect information, This article doesnt have the information Im looking for, Other Interesting Bette Nesmith Graham Facts And Trivia. Bette Nesmith Graham Liquid Paper Inventor As electric typewriters came into widespread use after World War II, Bette Nesmith Graham and countless other secretaries let out a collective groan. Over the next twenty five years, Bette and others grew the small start-up through traditional sales to distributors and promotion within the office product industry. } At the time, IBM had just come out with a new line of electric typewriters that were faster than previous models and used carbon film ribbons. Bette Nesmith Graham Biography, Life, Interesting Facts It contains the domain, viewCount (increments each pageView in a session), and session start timestamp. return b ? } Inspirational Women / By Kate Kelly The inventor of the correcting fluid Liquid Paper was a woman by the name of Bette Nesmith Graham (1924-1980). Her correction fluid would be a godsend for typists. Today is, , commemorating the important work of executive assistants and office professionals, the tireless people who make sure the organizational trains run on time. She had mixed it in her kitchen blender and poured it into nail polish containers, then hid it in her desk, furtively applying it only when needed to avoid the scrutiny of a disapproving boss. In 1962, Graham married a frozen-food salesman, Robert Graham, who took an increasingly active role in the company, including a seat on the board. Why She Is Famous. I wonder if we will have the courage to fully implement the type of ethical business practices she made real, some 40 years ago. Little did she know her frustration would lead to her becoming one of the most famous women inventors of the 20th century. Scroll below and check more details information about Current Net worth as well as Monthly/Year Salary, Expense, Income Reports! Divorced and with a small child to support, Bette took several odd jobs, eventually learning shorthand and typing. This cookie keeps track of sessions. if ((existingVal == null || existingVal == '' || existingVal == defaultValue) && (newVal != null && newVal != '')) { Linkedin sets this cookie. The great throwback album also included aposthumous contribution from Jones on a Neil Diamond written tune, "Love To Love," which was cut in 1967 and originally intended for the Headquarters album. hp_try += 1; She formed a multimillion-dollar global company after inventing Liquid Paper. She called her product Mistake Out.. But she was also a budding product marketing genius: Over several decades, she identified a need in the market, organically grew her business, staved off competition, and bootstrapped her way to a $47.5m exit $173m in todays money. I find its such a marvelous period when youve been patient and stood your ground and one day you see that growth has been going on around you all the time, she said. She built it out of nothing. Ensures data from subsequent visits to the same site are attributed to the same user ID. She was a tool-maker and highly motivated to help working women, said Michael Nesmith, her son. By 1975, the company produced 25 million liquid paper bottles per year. Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. That secretary was Elizabeth Clair McMurray Nesmith Graham, the, With no background in chemical engineering, but guided by her side hustle of painting and graphic design, Bette Graham created the first correctional paint to fix document typos. As much as she wanted to help her kindred secretaries, Nesmith also noted that she, as a single mother and creative person, was equally motivated to find ways to empower working women. That rankled her to no end, Nesmith said to me over the phone. } Labeled the "Prefab Four," the Monkees themselves remain deeply underrated as a pioneering rock & roll band. was the first Monkees recording in decades, and saw Dolenz, Nesmith and Tork collaborating with musicians like Noel Gallagher of Oasis and Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. She left high school to marry a man named Nesmith before World War II. Unsubscribe whenever. After few trials and fails, Bette tried an odorless and colorless paint with a watercolor brush. A racially integrated staff that recognized affirmative action policies. Bette Nesmith Graham (March 23, 1924May 12, 1980) was the inventor and businesswoman who made a fortune from her invention "Liquid Paper," a product which along with its competitors such as Wite-Out, allowed secretaries to quickly correct typing mistakes. LPC also boasted full implementation of affirmative action polices in the late 1970s with a racially integrated staff. Used to store information about the time a sync took place with the lms_analytics cookie. captchaVersion.type = 'hidden'; On May 31, 1966, filming began on The Monkees. Graham was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up nearby in San Antonio, Texas ("Bette Nesmith Graham: Liquid Paper Inventor," n.d.). return decodeURIComponent(cookiePair[1]); They would have one son in December 1942, Robert Michael Nesmith. if (false) { Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. LPC exhibited extraordinary growth in the first ten years, and by 1965, LPC sold some 133,000 bottles of product, with annual recurring sales soaring. This cookie is set by Hotjar. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. At 19 years of age, she got married to Warren Nesmith. University of North Texas Libraries Special Collections, As women advance in the workforce, its surprising how some things remain the same. Part code of ethics, part business philosophy, it covered everything from her belief in a "Supreme Being" to a focus on decentralized decision making and an emphasis on product quality over the pursuit of profit. Her work as a secretary and her background in art were inspiration for her invention. https://www.thoughtco.com/liquid-paper-bette-nesmith-graham-1992092 (accessed March 4, 2023). The secretary who turned Liquid Paper into a multimillion-dollar She could see women who were at the highest places as executive assistants, but they didnt have decision making power. } Anyone in the organization no matter their role could be appointed and included in committees that made decisions for the whole organization. Fast Facts: Bette Nesmith Graham Known For: Invention of the correcting fluid known as Liquid Paper Born: March 23, 1924 in Dallas Texas Parents: Christine Duval and Jesse McMurray Died: May 12, 1980 in Richardson, Texas Education: Left San Antonio's Alamo Heights School at 17 She died on May 12, 1980, of complications of a stroke. This cookie is set by Sailthru. But correction fluid is also being used in a wide variety of emergency and temporary fixes for white clothing and nicks in white walls or appliances or floor tiles or French manicures. On weekends, she traveled around Texas pitching Mistake Out to wholesalers.