Today in Wheeling History: May 1—The Neuralgyline Company, founded by William E. Weiss and A. H. Diebold to manufacture and sell the pain-relieving preparation Neuralgine, was established in Wheeling with a capital of $25,000 (1901).
William E. Weiss, born on January 1, 1879, in Canton, Ohio, was a pioneering businessman who played a significant role in Wheeling, West Virginia's industrial history. Weiss graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1900 and soon after formed a partnership with his high school friend, A. H. Diebold, to sell a patent medicine called Neuralgyline. The duo moved their operations to Wheeling, where they established the Neuralgyline Company with a capital of $25,000 on May 1, 1901. The business initially operated out of two small rooms on the second floor of an old building, but it quickly grew. By their second year, sales had increased six-fold. Weiss and Diebold expanded their product line by acquiring other patent medicine firms, leading to the formation of Sterling Drug Company, which became one of the world's largest manufacturers of proprietary remedies. Weiss served as chairman of the board, general manager, and director of Sterling Products, Inc., and held leadership positions in several other companies, including Bayer-Semensan Co. and American Home Products Company. He was married to Helena Schwertfeger of Wheeling, and they had two children, William E. Weiss, Jr., and Madelyn Elizabeth. Weiss died in an automobile accident on August 22, 1942, in Harbor Springs, Michigan, and is remembered for his contributions to the pharmaceutical industry.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/5n7uak9m), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/ypzdu34d), Division of the History of Chemistry, American Chemical Society (https://shorturl.at/4uKGO)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Division of the History of Chemistry, American Chemical Society; Weelunk
William E. Weiss, born on January 1, 1879, in Canton, Ohio, was a pioneering businessman who played a significant role in Wheeling, West Virginia's industrial history. Weiss graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1900 and soon after formed a partnership with his high school friend, A. H. Diebold, to sell a patent medicine called Neuralgyline. The duo moved their operations to Wheeling, where they established the Neuralgyline Company with a capital of $25,000 on May 1, 1901. The business initially operated out of two small rooms on the second floor of an old building, but it quickly grew. By their second year, sales had increased six-fold. Weiss and Diebold expanded their product line by acquiring other patent medicine firms, leading to the formation of Sterling Drug Company, which became one of the world's largest manufacturers of proprietary remedies. Weiss served as chairman of the board, general manager, and director of Sterling Products, Inc., and held leadership positions in several other companies, including Bayer-Semensan Co. and American Home Products Company. He was married to Helena Schwertfeger of Wheeling, and they had two children, William E. Weiss, Jr., and Madelyn Elizabeth. Weiss died in an automobile accident on August 22, 1942, in Harbor Springs, Michigan, and is remembered for his contributions to the pharmaceutical industry.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/5n7uak9m), Weelunk (https://tinyurl.com/ypzdu34d), Division of the History of Chemistry, American Chemical Society (https://shorturl.at/4uKGO)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Division of the History of Chemistry, American Chemical Society; Weelunk
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