Ayer, James Cook
manufacturer, was born May 5, 1818, in Groton, Conn., which city now bears the name of Ledyard. He has become famous as a manufacturer of proprietary medicines, and as an organizer and financier. In his veins ran the blood of old American families, distinguished for personal character and active interest in public affairs. Frederick Ayer, his father, who served as a soldier of the war of 1812 and died in 1825, was a son of Elisha Ayer, a hero of the American revolution. Ayer's Almanac was given away by the millions of copies.
The principal remedies prepared by Dr.
Ayer were his Cherry Pectoral, Sarsaparilla, Ague Cure, Hair Vigor, and Pills. A large laboratory was built to accommodate the growing manufacture, and was expanded until it gave employment to nearly three hundred persons. In 1874 he received the republican nomination for congress. He left a fortune of twenty million dollars. He died July 3, 1878, in Winchendon, Mass.