History lesson

A.B Moler established the first barber school in 1893

Did you know?

A.B Moler established the first barber school in 1893 located in Chicago Illinois

A. B. Moler was born in 1868, Chicago, Illinois, . Moler began his barbering apprenticeship at the age of 21 under the wing of his older brother who had learned on the job .

For the first 3 years of his apprenticeship, Moler didn’t really feel he learnt all that much, being primarily engaged with floor-sweeping, neck-shaving and hot towel dispensing, which he felt added little to his trade. Did this lack of training inspire him to become what he is famous for? Potentially.

1893 – Founded the first barber school in the United States, in Chicago, Ill.

1893 – Wrote the first textbook on the subject of barbering: The Moler Manual of Barbering.

1899 – Franchised the first Moler Barber College in St. Louis, Mo., and a second franchise in Des Moines, Iowa. Wrote the following books: The Barbers Manual (1920), The Manual of Beauty Culture (1922), Ambition or Just Plain Laziness (1930), The Manual of Cosmetology (1947), The Barber Manual (1951), and The Manual of Cosmetology (Revised 1956).

1965 – Elected to the Barber Hall of fame