William Jennings Demorest

William Jennings Demorest (1822–1895) was an American magazine publisher, prohibition leader, and businessman from New York City. In collaboration with his second wife, Ellen Demorest, née Curtis, he attained international success from his wife's development of paper patterns for sewing fashion apparel of the day. Together, they built a fashion manufacturing and merchandising empire from it.

He and his wife launched five magazines and started a cosmetics company. He individually patented a sewing machine and a velocipede.

Demorest harbored lifelong political and religious aspirations. He is widely known for being a Prohibition activist and ran for Mayor of New York City on the Prohibition ticket. He also organized the Anti-Nuisance League.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The Demorest Medal Contests were a system of public oratorical competitions, founded as a means of Prohibition propaganda by Demorest in April, 1886. At the time of his death (1895)m it was estimated that he had expended on medals (silver, gold, and diamond) and in maintaining the Medal Bureau more than US$100,000. After his death, the Demorest medal system was merged with that of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, and Mrs. Demorest was placed in charge of the Medal Department.^[4]

Town named for Demorest edit

Magazines edit

1860: Mme Demorest's Mirror of Fashions was first published as a quarterly

Summer 1863 — Mirror of Fashions became a monthly
January 1864 — Demorest purchased New York Illustrated News
September 1864 — Demorest combined New York Illustrated News with the Mirror of Fashions

January 1879 — Changed the name to Demorest Family Magazine
October 1899 — Final publication of Demorest Family Magazine

Demorest Monthly Magazine, The
Demorest's Illustrated News
Demorest's Illustrated Monthly Magazine

In 1873, Demorest joined the printing firm of Little, Rennie & Co. (founded in 1867 by Joseph James Little). In 1876, the firm became known as J.J. Little & Company.

Location of operations edit

Demorest Studio Building — 4 & 6 W 14th St

Political party affiliations edit

Prohibition Party (New York City) —

Marriages edit

In 1845, Demorest married Margaret Willamina Poole (1823–1857), daughter of Joseph and Jeannette Poole. While living on Varick Street, they had two children: (i) Vienna Willamina Demorest (1847-?) and Henry Clay Demorest (1850–1928).
On April 15, 1858, Demorest married Ellen Louise Curtis (1825–1898) — a fashion arbiter.

Other interests edit

In 1881 he published the song, Sweet Wind of Eve, by Henry Tucker.

References edit

^ Ishbel Ross (1895-1975), Crusades and Crinolines: The Life and Times of Ellen Curtis Demorest and William Jennings Demorest, Harper & Row, New York (1963).
^ The National Statesman (Prohibition Party newsletter, discontinued 2003), p.4., December 2003.
^ Lane, Mary C. (1997). A Centennial History of Piedmont College: 1897-1997. Demorest,Ga: Piedmont College. pp. 4–5.
^ Cherrington, Ernest Hurst (1924). Standard Encyclopedia of the Alcohol Problem. Westerville, Ohio: American Issue Publishing Company. p. 790. Retrieved 3 April 2024 – via Internet Archive. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[1] Ishbel Ross (1895-1975), Crusades and Crinolines: The Life and Times of Ellen Curtis Demorest and William Jennings Demorest, Harper & Row, New York (1963).

[2] The National Statesman (Prohibition Party newsletter, discontinued 2003), p.4., December 2003.

[piedmont-3] Lane, Mary C. (1997). A Centennial History of Piedmont College: 1897-1997. Demorest,Ga: Piedmont College. pp. 4–5.

[Cherrington1924-4] Cherrington, Ernest Hurst (1924). Standard Encyclopedia of the Alcohol Problem. Westerville, Ohio: American Issue Publishing Company. p. 790. Retrieved 3 April 2024 – via Internet Archive. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

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