George Safford Parker

Who was George Safford Parker?

George Safford Parker was an American inventor and industrialist.

Parker was a telegraphy instructor in Janesville, Wisconsin and had a sideline repairing and selling fountain pens. Dismayed by the unreliability of the pens, he experimented with ways to prevent ink leaks. In 1888, Parker founded the Parker Pen Company. The next year he received his first fountain pen patent. By 1908, his factory on Main Street in Janesville was reportedly the largest pen manufacturing facility in the world. Parker eventually became one of the world's premier pen brands, and one of the first brands with a global presence. George S. Parker High School in Janesville is his namesake. Parker graduated from Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa.