2 Quotes & Sayings By Eliel Pierre
Eliel Pierre, the "Father of Modern Cosmetology" was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 18, 1876. His father, Victor E. Pierre, was a merchant and his mother, Charlotte Elielle Pierre, was a housewife
Eliel attended St. Louis County High School earned his license as a barber in 1896. He opened his first salon in St.
Louis in 1899 where he began to teach women's hairdressing classes after hours. In 1909 Eliel married his wife, Jeanne Marie Dehayes and they had four children: Victor E., Paul, Edward and Louie. In 1917 he opened his first college-level cosmetology school which eventually became the International Institute of Beauty Culture in 1922 and was renamed the International School of Beauty Culture in 1925. When World War II came around he was appointed by President Roosevelt to be the Director of Cosmetology for the U.S.
Army and trained over 100,000 servicemen and women throughout the world on how to properly care for their hair and skin while abroad preparing for war. He received the Silver Star for his service during World War II and retired from this position in 1947 to open a school for veterans returning from World War II with physical disabilities such as paraplegia or paralysis on both legs or arms or blindness or deafness; this training program has been called the "Eliel Pierre School of Orthopedic Medical Technology." He continued teaching cosmetology until his death on September 23, 1973 at the age of 92 leaving behind an enduring legacy that continues to be practiced by thousands of students and educators who follow in his footsteps today.