Gail Borden

Gail Borden was born on November 9, 1801 and is known for his inventions and publications and incredible knowledge of business. Borden was born in Norwich, New York to Philadelphia and Gail Borden. Borden and his family moved around in his early childhood; they moved from New York to New London, Indiana and then to the state of Mississippi. While living in Indiana, Borden attended school for about a year and a half and this was his only schooling ever. While living in Mississippi, Borden started dating Penelope Mercer and the couple later married and had five children.

Borden left Mississippi and headed to Texas where he began the first of his several careers. While living in Texas, he and his brother Thomas began lives as surveyors and together they founded the first Texas newspaper. The newspaper was titled “Telegraph and Texas Register” and the paper stayed around for many years after Borden sold out. After selling his share of the newspaper, Borden began a new career in politics and was soon given the job title of collector of cCustoms. While spending time in politics, Borden began dabbling with inventions, and due to the death of his wife, he started looking for a cure to the disease that killed her. Borden soon lost interest in his ongoing experiments and concentrated on the invention that he is most known for: Condensed milk.

After years of research, Borden applied for a patent and began producing condensed milk, which led to his future business called the New York Condensed Milk Company.