Los Angeles Soap Co.

Los Angeles Soap Company was founded by John A. Forthmann.[1][2] Charles Brode was a director of the Los Angeles Soap Company.[3][4]

History

In 1860, John A. Forthmann, a German-born 17-year-old, arrived at the pueblo of Los Angeles, later buying a small soap business in a shack at 2nd and Spring streets. By 1874, the soap plant had moved to a wooden building near the Los Angeles and San Pedro Railway, from which he would ship soap around the West.[5] Its oldest building, dates back to 1858.[6] The Los Angeles Soap Company Plant, at 617 E. 1st Street, spread over 40 acres, with around 600 employees, produced more than 75 brands of soap.[7][8]

In 1897, the company, headed by John A. Forthmann and William D. Bergin filed incorporation papers.[9] After World War I, White King D, the nation’s first granulated laundry detergent, began production.[5]

In 1922, the White King Soapsters joined the Greater Southern California Baseball Association.[9]

The Los Angeles Soap Company sponsored Chandu the Magician, a radio series,[6] and Queen for a Day, which began on radio in 1945, moved to television in 1956, and remained there until 1964.[9]

In 1967, a factory it opened on the East Coast closed within a year.[5] On June 17, 1988, the Los Angeles plant closed[10][5][11] after about 128 years from the company's beginning.[9]

Products

Los Angeles Soap did private-label packing for Vons, Ralphs, Luckys and Thrifty Drug, contract packing for companies such as Shaklee and Avon, and did manufacturing of tiny bars of soap favored by hotels.[6]

  • Mission Bell, soap[12]
  • White King Soap, soap[13]
  • White King Soap, laundry soap[14]
  • White King D, laundry detergent
  • White King Water Softener
  • Cocoa Naptha[6]

See also

Further reading

  • Geiger, C. W. (February 1930). "Oil handling facilities at the port of Manila: Describing the interesting and efficient system for transferring coconut oil from tank lighters to steamers". Oil & Fat Industries. 7 (2): 51–53. doi:10.1007/BF02564040. … The new plant of the Copra Oil & Meal Co., a subsidiary of the Los Angeles Soap Co., Los Angeles, Calif.… Its products will be completely used by the Los Angeles Soap Co., according to …

References

  1. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1941), Los Angeles: a Guide to the City and its Environs, American Guide Series, NY: Hastings House – via Hathi Trust + Chronology
  2. ^ "No. 103 - Forthmann House and Forthmann Carriage House".
  3. ^ "Death of Pioneer Charles Brode," Los Angeles Times, August 14, 1901, page 12
  4. ^ "Twenty-Fifth Anniversary: The Turnverein Society Honors Its Charter Members," Los Angeles Times, June 21, 1896, page 27
  5. ^ a b c d Rasmussen, Cecilia (27 July 1997). "Cleaning Up L.A.--Till the Bubble Burst". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d Rivera, Nancy (29 July 1985). "Soap Firm Likes Its Independence : Makers of White King Products Fend Off the Giants". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  7. ^ http://www.laobserved.com/archive/2011/03/los_angeles_in_the_1930s.php
  8. ^ https://libraryarchives.metro.net/DPGTL/pre-eir-eis-reports-and-studies/metro-red-line-segment-3-eastside-extension/1995-metro-red-line-segment-3-eastside-extension-baseline-environmental-study-october.pdf
  9. ^ a b c d Berman, Jay (17 October 2005). "A True Soap Opera". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  10. ^ Lazzareschi, Carla (December 14, 1987). "L.A. Soap Co. About to Shut Down, Sell Land : 127-Year-Old Company a Washout in Recent Intense Competition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  11. ^ Lazzareschi, Carla (14 December 1987). "L.A. Soap Co. About to Shut Down, Sell Land : 127-Year-Old Company a Washout in Recent Intense Competition". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
  12. ^ https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/Gridiron/id/104
  13. ^ "Soap Shipping Crate". americanhistory.si.edu. National Museum of American History.
  14. ^ Dobesh, Jerry L. (6 April 2025). "These silver serving pieces are family heirlooms. What were they for, and what are they worth?". Oregonian & OregonLive. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
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