In 1913, Octave A. A. Ruillion, on the occasion of his eightieth birthday, was recognized by his peers as being the oldest practicing pharmacist in the borough of Brooklyn. The story appeared in the February 7, 1913 edition of the “Brooklyn Daily Eagle.”
PHARMACISTS HONOR OCTAVE ROUILLION
Tribute was paid to Octave A. A. Rouillion, the oldest pharmacist in Brooklyn, by the Kings County Pharmaceutical Society, last night, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, when a large number of members of the society visited his store at the corner of Gates Avenue and Fulton Street, and compelled him to suspend business while Thomas D. McElhenie, another of Brooklyn’s oldest druggists, made a short address and presented him with a handsome engraved certificate of life membership in the society…
Mr. McElhenie told the aged druggist that he had been elected to life membership in the Pharmaceutical Society, and went on to explain the handsome morris chair which was delivered to the store earlier in the day and which had kept Mr. Rouillion guessing all day, was a gift from the members of the society, who hoped that he would find ample time in coming years to put it to good use. A large bouquet of eighty red carnations was also brought along and presented…
This photograph of Rouillion accompanied the “Brooklyn Daily Eagle” story.
A native of France, Rouillion’s early life was described in his October, 1918 “Druggist Circular” obituary.
Mr. Rouillion was born in Bazancais, France, February 6, 1833. In his younger years he engaged in the drug business in Paris, whence he immigrated to this country and continued his business in this state for fifty-eight years.
Census records in 1900 indicate that he arrived in the United States in 1858 where, according to his “Druggist Circular” obituary, he began his career in Manhattan.
He was at one time connected with the wholesale firm of E. Fougera & Co., this city, and prior to that conducted a store in Greenwich Street.
That being said the earliest reference to Rouillion that I can find doesn’t appear until 1865/1866 when he was listed in the Brooklyn directory with a residence of 280 Fulton Street. So his days in Manhattan will remain a mystery, at least to me.
Rouillion would go on to spend 50 + years in Brooklyn. In 1868/1869, and possibly earlier, he was working as a druggist for the firm of Heydenreich Bros., a retail druggist located at 169 Atlantic Avenue.
In 1872/1873 the Heydenreich Brothers began listing a second Brooklyn drug store, this one at what would ultimately become Rouillion’s long-time location at 1 Gates Avenue. By 1875/1876, Rouillion had apparently partnered with the Heydenreich’s at the Gates Avenue drug store such that by then it was listed under the name of Heydenreich & Ruillion. Their business card appeared in a document entitled “Proceedings of the Medical Society of the County of Kings,” published on July 17, 1877.
Ultimately, in 1878/1879, Rouillion became the sole owner of the Gates Avenue drug store where he remained in business for almost 40 more years.
A chemist, as well as a pharmacist, his formula for a new cold cream appeared in the “Year-Book of Pharmacy, Comprising Abstracts of Papers Relating to Pharmacy, Medica and Chemistry,” published in 1896.
A little over two years after his 80th birthday celebration, Rouillion, looking to retire, announced that his drug store was up for sale in the September, 1915 edition of “The Practical Druggist” .
Two months later, “The Practical Druggist” announced that the business had been sold and Rouillion was officially retired.
Octave A. A. Rouillion, the oldest active pharmacist in Brooklyn, has retired from business, and has sold his establishment at Gates Avenue and Fulton Street… His successor in the business is A. N. Miller, a graduate of the New York College of Pharmacy.
Rouillion passed away three years later on September 1, 1918. This paragraph found in his “Druggist Circular” obituary speaks volumes about the type of individual he was.
The deceased set his standard of business integrity exceptionally high, as an instance of his career will denote. While conducting an experiment with a rubber compound he accidentally set his store on fire, with a resultant damage of about $1,000 to stock and fixtures. When the insurance adjusters called later, however, he refused to enter a claim, and no argument availed to make him do so: he held himself entirely responsible for the fire. Sturdy honesty of this type, together with a kindly and companionable disposition, won and held for Mr. Rouillion a wide circle of friends in both his business and social life.
Rouillon’s drug store was located where Gates Avenue, Fulton Street and Clermont Avenue all come together. Today, there’s no sign of the building that housed the business.
The subject bottle is 1-1/4 inches square, 4 inches tall and contains about 2 ounces. Blown in a mold, it could fit almost anywhere in the 1878 to 1918 time frame that Rouillion was located at the Gates Avenue location.