William Gregg (February 2, 1800 – September 12, 1867) was an ardent advocate of industrialization in the antebellum Southern United States and the founder of the Graniteville Mill, the largest textile mill in South Carolina during the antebellum period. Gregg was a revolutionary figure in the textile industry. His practice of having his employees live in company-owned homes became common. Gregg publicized his ideas in his 1845 Essays on Domestic Industry. He argued that economic domination by the North was best met by Southern industrialization. He gained sufficient support for his own efforts, but was unable to bring about any general change in the agrarian southern economy. Early life William Gregg, concerned by many as "the most significant figure in the development of cotton-mills in the South", was born on February 2, 1800, in Monongalia County, Virginia, although some sources state that he was born in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. Gregg was the youngest son of William Gregg and Elizabeth Webb. William Gregg's father was a Revolutionary War veteran from Virginia and his Mother Elizabeth was a Quaker from Philadelphia. At the age of 4, his mother died, and Gregg was then brought up by a woman who was his neighbor until he was around the age of 10. After several years of living with his neighbor, Gregg moved to his Uncle Jacob Gregg's home in Alexandria, Virginia. William Gregg was apprenticed to his Uncle Jacob, who was a successful watchmaker and also a successful spinning machine maker in Alexandria. His early exposure to his Uncles cotton manufacturing plant sparked his long term interest in the business. During the War of 1812, Jacob Gregg left watchmaking to pursue and open a cotton mill in Georgia. The pair of Jacob and William settled the cotton factory on the Little River near Madison, Georgia. This small cotton factory is heralded as one of the first mills in the Southern United States. Following the War of 1812, Jacob Gregg had encountered economically tough times and could no longer support the young William. Jacob Gregg apprenticed William under his friend, Mr. Blanchard. Gregg spent a few years with Mr. Blanchard perfecting his watchmaking craft and trade. In 1821, William Gregg moved himself to Petersburg, Virginia, to improve and enhance his craft and trade and perfect his ability. Middle life Gregg settled in Columbia. It is here where William Gregg put his knowledge from Mr. Blanchard and