Bette Nesmith Graham was an American typist, commercial artist, businesswoman, and inventor of liquid paper, a correction fluid. By 1964, the production of Liquid Paper grew 10x, to 5k bottles/week; in 1967, the company notched its first $1m in sales (~$8m today). More than400 young actors and musicians auditioned for the four roles. } Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. Graham poses for a photo later in life (University of North Texas archives). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in 2018, secretaries and administrative professionals account for some. The growing venture operated first out of her garage, then a small storage unit in her backyard and eventually, in 1965, in a four room single family home. There was also a program that reimbursed 75% of tuition or fees that any employees spent on continuing education. captchaVersion.value = 'true'; Liquid Paper Corporations' Statement of Policy. Nesmith was raised in Dallas by his mother, Bette Nesmith Graham, who invented the first correction fluid in 1956 while working as a typist. Who is Bette Nesmith Graham: Bette Nesmith Graham is a famous Entrepreneur. Born on March 23, 1924 Died on May 12, 1980 Born in Corpus Christi, Texas Worked as a secretary at a bank. The plant had equipment that could produce 500 bottles a minute. 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. if(name == cookiePair[0].trim()) { Nevertheless, she made little money despite working nights and weekends to fill orders. She was an actress. The tenacious woman managed to hold on to 49% of the company. Graham, Bette Clair McMurray (1924-1980). Aaaaaayyyyy! var newVal = searchParams.get(utmName); LPC had arrived as a global product that enjoyed nearly all of its market share. By 1967, Liquid Paper was a million-dollar enterprise. Graham became so devoted to her venture that she accidentally signed a letter at her job with the notation The Mistake Out Company. She was promptly fired, giving her a chance to become a full-time small business owner in 1958. } Each new breakthrough required more employees and more space. It might be defined as one of the simplest discoveries on earth, but it carried a huge investment as time passed. Used to determine if a visitor has been shown a campaign by the slug. If this cookie does not exist when HubSpot manages cookies, it is considered a new session. Below the countdown to Bette Nesmith Graham upcoming birthday. Mistake Out became Liquid Paper. Pinterest. They are passionate about turning your everyday moments into memories and bringing you inspiring ideas to have fun with your family. Interested? She was barred from making corporate decisions, lost access to the premises, and the company changed her formula so she would lose royalties. 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. }); This cookie is set by Microsoft Clarity.

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American typist and inventor of Liquid Paper (19241980), "From The Folks Who Gave You Liquid Paper", "Graham, Bette Clair McMurray (19241980)", "Overlooked No More: Bette Nesmith Graham, Who Invented Liquid Paper", Bette Nesmith Graham, Liquid Paper Inventor, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bette_Nesmith_Graham&oldid=1129392668, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox person with multiple spouses, Pages using infobox person with multiple parents, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 December 2022, at 03:03. Bettes original product was called Mistake Out, which she formed a company around in 1956. $('input.hp_try').val(hp_try); Among its offerings: During her successful run, Graham also established two philanthropic foundations one that supported women in the arts, and another that offered assistance to disadvantaged women. } It contains an opaque GUID to represent the current visitor. $('.email-submission:not(.prevent-default)').submit(function (e) { A clip from a commercial for Liquid Paper (YouTube). Her father, Jesse McMurray, worked at an automotive parts store. This cookie is set by LinkedIn. The Hustle uses the information you provide to contact you about our relevant content and services. In that tone, she opted to paint an error instead of erasing it completely. e.preventDefault(); The _omappvs cookie, used in conjunction with the _omappvp cookies, is used to determine if the visitor has visited the website before, or if it is a new visitor. Born in 1924 in Dallas, Texas, Bette Graham dropped out of high school at the age of seventeen and went to secretarial school. var captchaVersion = document.createElement('input'); Today is, , commemorating the important work of executive assistants and office professionals, the tireless people who make sure the organizational trains run on time. Here are a handful of fun facts to celebrate half a century of the Monkees. She left her fortune to her son, who took over her foundations and continued to dole out money to striving women. Bette Nesmith Graham. The carbon ribbons made these errors impossible to erase without leaving smudges all over the paper. Comment: The 5' 6" Winkler fit the frame perfectly. Most easily identified by his trademark blue wool hat with pompom, Nesmith fashioned a diversified career within music and also in film. captchaApiScriptEl.async = true; The product took a few different forms, but was some variation of small bottle or pen with the signature correction fluid. She whipped up a white-colored liquid in her kitchen blender, poured it into an empty nail polish bottle, and started covertly using it at work to cover up typos on documents. setHiddenFieldValueFromUtm(wrappingDiv, sp, 'funnel-r', 'r', ''); That year she applied for a patent and changed the name to the Liquid Paper Company. She acquired shorthand and typing after her divorce and got work in a bank to support herself and her child. In 1979, she sold her company to the Gillette Corporation for $47.5 million. FUN FACTS. grecaptcha.render('verify-your-humanity', { Its like a plant that is rooted in the ground. In 1956, Bette Nesmith Graham (mother of future The Monkees guitarist Michael Nesmith) invented the first correction fluid in her kitchen. Bette Nesmith Graham dropped out to marry Warren Audrey Nesmith, her childhood sweetheart and a soldier when it comes to family life. She could see women who were at the highest places as executive assistants, but they didnt have decision making power. On May 31, 1966, filming began on The Monkees. There was also focused emphasis on advancing women and black staff into senior roles. She solicited wholesalers and traveled from Dallas to San Antonio and Houston on weekends to market her product. Her mother owned a knitting store and taught Bette how to paint; her father worked at an auto parts store. document.head.appendChild(captchaApiScriptEl); var error = wrappingDiv.getElementsByClassName('funnel-error')[0]; So, in 1979, the inventor of Liquid Paper sold the company to Gillette for $47.5 million, plus a deal for royalties. This cookie is set by Hotjar. Long before the delete key, typing and correspondence was a vital portion of the work, first with mechanical typewriters and then electronic ones. 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. var wrappingDiv = document.getElementById('email-submission'); In 1958, Graham changed the name of her product to Liquid Paper and filed for a patent. A random, unique, device identifier, stored as a 1st party cookie, to enable targeted advertising, This cookie is set by LiveIntent. The bitterness remained, and Robert Graham maneuvered to have the company bar her from making any corporate decisions. After work one day, she went to the library and looked up a recipe for tempera an age-old, water-based paint. Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising. She would often burst into tears of panic, Michael Nesmith wrote in his autobiography, Infinite Tuesday: An Autobiographical Riff (2017). As they say, every story starts somewhere, and Bette Nesmith Grahamshowed us that it also ends with inspiration. For a variety of reasons - technology changes, increased access to education or better professional opportunities - the profession is on. Bettes decent life and humble background made her not to step a foot in high school. They divorced in 1946. Facts About Bette Nesmith Graham. I think anyone who is making progress faces fear, she later said in an interview. You have to face fears and doubts constantly. Used to monitor the technical information and use of devices that connect to our website to protect it from malicious traffic. Tired of having to retype entire pages because of one small error, Graham determined to find a more efficient alternative. utmName, Kidadl is supported by you, the reader. and received a large order from General Electric. She has a sister named Yvonne as well. Bette Nesmith Graham Entrepreneur #83111 Most Popular Boost Birthday March 23, 1924 Birthplace Dallas , TX DEATH DATE May 12, 1980 ( age 56 ) Birth Sign Aries About Inventor of Liquid Paper who gave countless students a quick way to correct writing mistakes. Tracks recent pageviews for all visitors, and can be used to populate a new user profile. } if(typeof hp_interval == 'undefined') { Pick: Do you consider these musicians one-hit wonders? Graham's net worth was estimated to be approximately $50 million when she died. I write about the power of negotiation and adaptive leadership. This cookie is set by Microsoft Advertising. Her two foundations supported several ways to help women find new ways to earn a living, especially unwed mothers. Bette Clair McMurray was born in Dallas on March 23, 1924. Can you recognize these stars on the cover of TV Guide in 1970? With a never give up soul, Graham went on with her experiment till when she came up with a picture-perfect combination. error_message = prev_email + " is not valid. 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. She opted to sell the company to Gillette Corporation for over $47.5 million in 1979. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. setHiddenFieldValueFromUtm(wrappingDiv, sp, 'funnel-o', 'o', ''); With him, she had a son Michael Nesmith.Michael Nesmith is a musician and producer in his own right. Her first employees were her teenage son and his friends. But Graham didnt care much for traditional education. ThoughtCo, Sep. 1, 2021, thoughtco.com/liquid-paper-bette-nesmith-graham-1992092. The introduction of liquid paper came to cover up the blunders that we usually make when writing or re-writing a book or paper. setHiddenFieldValue(wrappingDiv, sp, 'funnel-referral', 'ref', 'funnel_referral', ''); She died on May 12, 1980, at the age of 56 years.Bette Nesmith Graham attended Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio, Texas, until she was 17. Her mother was an artist, but her own ambition to be an artist was rechanneled when her marriage ended in divorce. } Bette Nesmith Graham was born March 23rd, 1924 ("Bette Nesmith Graham: Liquid Paper Inventor," n.d.). (2021, September 1). hp_ts += 1; ft. international Liquid Paper headquarters building in Dallas. Bette Nesmith Graham (March 23, 1924 - May 12, 1980) was an American typist, commercial artist, and the inventor of the correction fluid Liquid Paper. 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. One day at work, she accidentally signed off a letter The Mistake Out Company instead of Texas Bank and Trust, and was fired. I remember talking to her accountant, and he looked at me and said, You know, this company should never have existed. When I started Liquid Paper Corporation, I had a deep desire to build a company based on ethical values a commitment to serve the interests of our customers above all and to encourage the cultural, educational and spiritual development of our employees, Bette said. Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents. A few years ago, Kimi Coy and her mother, Carolyn Benyshek, booked a mother-daughter trip to Singapore. Working as a typist, she used to make many mistakes and always strove for a way to correct them. She donated millions to charity after selling her business. There was also focused emphasis on advancing women and black staff into senior roles. She was born on March 23, 1924 and her birthplace is Dallas, TX. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. After few trials and fails, Bette tried an odorless and colorless paint with a watercolor brush. Containers that took up to We use cookies to make the Hustle website a better place. At 17, she dropped out of high school, married a soldier named Warren Nesmith, and had a baby boy. Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics: Includes Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney (indigo plant dye), Martha Coston (signal flares), Fannie Farmer (standardized recipes), Madam C. J. Walker (hair-care products), S. Josephine Baker (child hygiene), Barbara McClintock (genetics), Bette Nesmith Graham (Liquid Paper), Grace Hopper (computer-programming language), Ruth Handler (the Barbie doll), and . function getCookieValue(a) { Bette Nesmith Graham was born to Jesse McMurray and Christine Duval in Dallas, Texas, on March 23, 1924. But for decades, being part of a secretarial pool was an important employment option for millions of women. I wonder if we will have the courage to fully implement the type of ethical business practices she made real, some 40 years ago. } There is little to glean information about her death. All of this growth happened without any outside investment. and 94% of those jobs are held by women. var hp_interval = 0; Any information you provide to us via this website may be placed by us on servers located in countries outside the EU if you do not agree to such placement, do not provide the information. The substance was Liquid Paper, the correction fluid that relieved secretaries and writers of all stripes from the pressure of perfection. She built it out of nothing. This cookie is set by Hotjar. She continued to refine her recipe in her kitchen laboratory, which was based on a formula for tempura paint she found at the local library, with assistance from a paint company employee and a chemistry teacher at a local school. On 23rd, March 1924 Bette Nesmith Graham was first seen in the world in Dallas, Texas. }); A woman using an electric typewriter in the 1950s (Found Image Holdings/Corbis via Getty Images). This cookie is set by Microsoft Clarity. Business and tech news in 5 minutes or less. She was born in Texas, and became a secretary after high school. But as Graham soon learned, the invention had several downsides: Graham had to find a way to fix her numerous typos. Facebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin. Michael Nesmith missed three shoots due to a tonsillectomy, the birth of his son Jonathan and a family trip to Texas. In 1956, Bette Nesmith started the Mistake Out Company: her son Michael and his friends filled bottles for her customers. At 19 years of age, she got married to Warren Nesmith.