It was founded in 1857 by Frederick W. Redington and William H. Sanford , Jr. in Massachusetts as the Sanford Manufacturing Company . The company moved to Chicago in 1866 , five years before the Great Chicago Fire destroyed Sanford 's Chicago location . New facilities were soon built after the devastation of the fire , and operations resumed . In 1947 , following World War II , the Sanford Ink Company was forced to move locations to make room for a new expressway . The company settled in Bellwood , Illinois , where it still maintains a facility . In August 1985 Sanford became a public company . On February 14 , 1992 , Sanford was acquired by the Newell Company , ( now called Newell Brands , a Fortune 500 company )
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Sanford L.P.