Emmett J. Culligan, a pioneer in the development of conditioned water, was born in a small brick house in Yankton on March 5, 1893. He grew up in South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa. After attending college for two years, he worked and sold land in South Dakota. He served briefly in World War I. In the 1920s he began working for a water-softening firm and became district manager for the state of Iowa. From 1924 to 1928 he operated his own water-softening business. In the middle of the depression he conceived of marketing soft water on a service basis through franchised dealers. He started his new business in Northbrook, Ill., using $50 to establish credit. He gave soft water service instead of selling water softeners to homeowners.

By the start of World War II, the Culligan Zeolite Company had 150 dealers (zeolite is natural greensand used to remove hard minerals from water). In 1952 the company changed its name to Culligan, Inc., and in 1970 it became the Culligan International Company.

Today there are more than 1,000 franchised dealers in the United States and 85 more licensees throughout the world. The business grosses more than $150 million annually and provides employment for more than 20,000 families.

Culligan announced his retirement in 1965. He retired to San Bernardino, Calif., and died in 1970.