Vincent Riggio*

Vincent Riggio was born in the Sicilian town of Nicosia, in southern Italy. In 1883, at the age of six, he immigrated with his family, settling in New York City. At 13, he left school to help support his family and landed his first job as an errand boy in a tailor shop. After the shop was forced to close during the depression of 1892, Riggio apprenticed as a barber and then opened his own barbershop.

In a chance meeting, the sales manager of Butler-Butler Co. came into the shop for a shave and, upon hearing of Riggio's dissatisfaction with a career as a barber, offered the young man a job as a cigarette salesman.

Riggio proved to be a skilled salesman. Within a year, he had become district manager. Butler-Butler Company was later absorbed by the American Tobacco Company, the makers of Lucky Strike cigarettes. Riggio climbed the ranks, eventually becoming American Tobacco's president. Despite his executive position, Riggio continued to be the company's hardest-working salesman. Under his leadership, Lucky Strike became the most popular brand of cigarettes in the United States.