Robert Gair
Robert Gair (July 31, 1839— August 1, 1927)[1] was a Scottish-American printer and paper bag maker who invented the folding carton in 1879.[2]
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1839, he emigrated to the United States at age 14. Gair invented the paperboard folding carton by accident when a metal ruler used to crease bags shifted position and cut the bag. Gair found that by cutting and creasing paperboard in one operation, he could make prefabricated cartons. He ultimately entered the corrugated fiberboard shipping container business in the 1900s. His idea was developed and utilized by E. S. & A. Robinson with whom he had long-term business dealings.[3]
Gair founded a paper empire and occupied several buildings in the area of Brooklyn now known as Dumbo, many of which still bear his name.[4]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ Times, Special to The New York (1927-08-02). "ROBERT GAIR DIES OF A STROKE AT 88; Wealthy Paper-Box Manufacturer Succumbs on Birthday in His Summer Home. ACCIDENT LED TO SUCCESS Revolution in the Retailing of Goods Due to His Bag and Carton Inventions". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
- ↑ Business History of the Robert Gair Company, 1864 to 1927 by Wilbert Henry Ruenheck, New York University, 1951 (Thesis), p.15.
- ↑ "Robinsons of Bristol, 1945, p. 37". ES&A Robinson, Darwin, Bernard.
- ↑ Gray, Christopher (2004-03-14). "Streetscapes/Robert Gair, Dumbo and Brooklyn; Neighborhood's Past Incised in Its Facades". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
External links
[edit | edit source]- 1839 births
- Businesspeople from Edinburgh
- British emigrants to the United States
- 19th-century American inventors
- 19th-century Scottish inventors
- Scottish industrialists
- Year of death missing
- Scottish company founders
- American company founders
- 19th-century Scottish businesspeople
- 19th-century American businesspeople