F.W. Fitch

Frederick Walter Fitch (1870–1951) was an American businessman who specialized in hair products.

Early life Frederick Walter Fitch was born January 28, 1870, at Burnside, Iowa to Lucius Henry Carey Fitch, a physician, and his wife, Mary Eleanor Epperson. Fitch wanted to be a doctor but without a high school education he was unable to enroll at the University of Iowa. He became a barber in Madrid, Iowa and developed hair formulas with the input of a man named Dr. Brechbill.

Personal life and death In 1892, Fitch married Letitia Williams. They had four children, sons Gail and Lucius, and daughters Lois and Mildred. Lucius created the Fitch Company subsidiary American Chemical Products Company around 1930.

The Fitches separated in 1923 and divorced in 1925. Then Fitch married Gertrude Westberg, who had been the family's maid. He is buried at Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery in Des Moines.