[6] Richard Esterbrook (1812-1895 [7]) was a Cornish Quaker from England who saw an opportunity in the United States to manufacture steel pens.

[8] There were no experienced pen-manufacturing workers in the U.S. and no broadly available machinery to produce the pens, so Esterbrook designed all processes in-house.

Just one year after his death, in 1896 the company started an Esterbrook branch in England to join the ranks of the other main pen manufactures in Birmingham.

In 1947 Esterbrook bought out John Mitchell (which had been established in 1822 as the world's first manufacturer to cut nibs by machine) and then acquired Hazell Pen Co.

The post war years had seen a decline particularly in the export trade to the traditional markets of the British Empire.

There were numerous administrative changes and moves and eventually their final base of operations was vacated in 1971, and the building was demolished.

[20][21][22] A set of 72 clear Lucite Esterbrook fountain pens were used to sign the civil rights bill into law in 1964.

[8][24] "...I drew direct onto the drawing paper with a Scripto light blue pencil, and inked with a 356 Esterbrook pen.

"Author Shelby Foote used Esterbrook 313 Probate Nibs to write all three volumes of The Civil War: A Narrative "...I used a #356 Esterbrook art and drafting pen which could do everything from thin 'fadeaways' to broad accented curve sweeps on foreground circles such as the ducks' forms.

For some weird reason most new pens then start out flexible and free-flowing..."Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz used an Esterbrook 914 Radio nib for inking the comic strip.