The immigrant entrepreneur who brought condoms to America:
... [+]America does not have a startup visa, which limits business possibilities for foreign-born entrepreneurs. But more than a century ago, another immigrant entrepreneur, Julius Schmid, faced an even more significant challenge since selling the product he made could land him in prison. That was the dilemma facing Schmid in 1882 when he arrived from Germany to seek a better life in America.
An anti-birth control measure slipped into a broader bill that became law on March 3, 1872, affected the lives of millions of Americans. “Commonly called the Comstock Act after its chief proponent, the morals crusader Anthony Comstock, the statute, embedded in a broader postal act, passed after little political debate,” writes historian Andrea Tone, author of.
After Julius Schmid arrived in America, he discovered the streets were not paved with gold. He needed crutches to walk, which put him at a disadvantage beyond his status as a newly landed immigrant. He sold extra clothes so he had enough money to eat. Schmid worked in a sausage factory and learned how to clean the intestines of animals to make casings. He decided to launch what became a lucrative business—turning the material used to make sausage casings into condoms, also called “skins.” But the enterprise carried great risk.
“On Sept. 18, 1890, Comstock raided Schmid’s home and found 696 skins and ‘one form for manufacturing the same,’” writes Tone. “Released on $500 bail, Schmid was found guilty of ‘selling articles to prevent conception’ on October 28 and fined $50. Though a large sum for the average wage earner, it was not a financial obstacle for Schmidt, now a successful bootlegger. He paid the fine and resumed his life of condom crime.
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