Death of Founder Richard Esterbrook

Our founder, Richard Esterbrook Sr., died on 12 October 1895, aged 83. Historical sources record that he died in Atlanta, Georgia, following several weeks of illness. A contemporary newspaper report described him as the founder of the American steel-pen manufacturing business associated with the Esterbrook name. GA Historic Newspapers By the time of his death, the enterprise he had established in Camden had changed considerably from its beginnings. A Camden industrial review published five years earlier recorded approximately 400 varieties of steel pens, with Esterbrook products being sold throughout the American continent and in overseas markets including England and Germany. The Camden works had developed into a large four-storey manufacturing operation supported by the company's New York distribution centre. DVRBS Richard's death followed that of his son and former business partner, Richard Esterbrook Jr., in 1892. The company continued under the leadership of Francis “Frank” Woods, Richard Sr.'s son-in-law and previously the company's vice-president, who succeeded him as president