Sally Hansen (1908Sally Genevive Finney. United States Census (1920). Omaha Ward 10, Douglas, Nebraska, United States. The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), District 114, Sheet Number 12A, Household ID: 291, Line Number 37 – December 16, 1963) was an American businesswoman, inventor, dancer, actress, and writer.
Early life Sally Genevieve Hansen (née Finney) was born in 1908 in Kansas City, Kansas, to Thomas M. and Jennie M. Finney, the owners of a small cosmetics company, La Finné. As a teenager, she left home to become a dancer in Hollywood, California, landing roles on stage and screen, including The Orpheus Four,Los Angeles Times (November 9, 1924). Display Ad 89. Pg. C30 Friendly Enemies,Los Angeles Times (May 26, 1925). Display Ad 33 and Spring is Upon Us.Los Angeles Times
Hansen became a frequenter of the Hollywood social scene during the Roaring Twenties.The Daily Nebraskan, 1929
Career Writer While working as a dancer and actress in Hollywood, Hansen wrote (under her maiden name Sally Finney) a column titled "Your Candid Mirror" for the Los Angeles Times. Over the span of 91 articles, Hansen provided beauty and lifestyle advice, celebrating women and encouraging readers to be confident in their own skin.
Entrepreneur House of Hollywood After her early career as a dancer, Hansen took over her parents' failing cosmetics company and reinvented it as House of Hollywood in partnership with her husband and her brother. By the early 1940s, Hansen expanded House of Hollywood to include , the largest private brand cosmetic house in Southern California. She was also made president of the California Cosmetics Association, its first female chair.
Hansen's success with House of Hollywood led her to be offered the chance to expand through S. H. Kress & Co. Under the label La Bonita, she created the products Cool Off (make-up designed to not run in the heat) and Film Tone, inspired by the makeup she knew from film sets.The New York Times, June 17, 1951. Display Ad 1081
Sally Hansen, Inc. In 1946, Hansen quit House of Hollywood and left Hollywood to create her own eponymous beauty company in New York City, Sally Hansen Inc., with a logo modeled on her own signature. Its first two trademarks were Hard As Nails and Mend-A-Nail. Hansen employed mostly women in her factory – championing and supporting women in the workforce.
Hansen sold the brand in 1962 to Maradel Products.United States Patent and Trademark Office. Trademark Assignment Abstract of Title. Serial No. 72067005, Reg No. 688093. September 21, 1962 The brand eventually became the number one nail brand in the United States,Nielsen Answers, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and, , was distributed in over 55 countries.
Personal life Hansen married three times. First, at 19 years old to Eugene Gunther,Marriage License: Sally Genevive Finney and Eugene William Gunther. State of California. County of Los Angeles. Book 715. Page 185. March 12, 1927. a man who would turn out to be a philanderer, and in 1929 Hansen filed for divorce on grounds of "excessive intoxication" and violence, including one documented incident of being "slapped across the face".Divorce Filing: Sally Gunther and Eugene Gunther. The Superior Court of the State of California. County of Los Angeles. July 15, 1929
On November 20, 1932, Hansen married Adolf M. Hansen, "Hans", a doctor, surgeon, and socialite."Army and Navy Colonies at Harbor, Enliven Society With Attractive Affairs". Los Angeles Times (May 7, 1933) Although the couple led a glamorous happy life, filled with parties, Hansen's ambitions outmatched his and on October 1, 1946, Hansen again filed for divorce.Divorce Filing: Sally Gunther and Adolph Hansen. The Superior Court of the State of California. County of Los Angeles. No. 320204. October 1, 1946
In 1947, Hansen was married for the third time to Jack Newton,Certificate of Marriage Registration: Sally G. Hansen and Jack B. Newton. The City of New York Office of the City Clerk. Marriage License Bureau. December 12, 1947 a man 11 years her junior.
Death Hansen died at age 56, on December 16, 1963, after a 6-month fight with lung cancer.Certificate of Death: Sally Newton. Filed December 17, 1963. State of New York, Dept. of Health, Borough of Manhattan. Cert No. 156-63-126775 Her grave is small and simple: A flat plaque that until 2014 was buried in mud and barely visible, located at Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, Los Angeles County, California.
Financial legacy The 1962 sale of Sally Hansen, Inc. netted Hansen approximately $11 million (accounting for inflation to 2017). With her death one year later, the remainder of her estate was left to her husband Jack Newton, approximately $4 million, along with some small gifts for close friends.Last Will and Testament: Sally Hansen Newton
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