The Emmett J. Culligan collection contains the personal and professional records of Emmett Culligan, entrepreneur and founder of the water conditioning company, Culligan, Inc.

Emmett Joseph Culligan was born in Yankton, South Dakota in 1893 to John and Mary Culligan. His grandparents, Annie and Thomas Culligan, were born in Ireland and immigrated to Iowa in 1860. Emmett spent much of his young adult life in south-western Minnesota, interested in rural life and farming. In 1919, he and Anna Harrington married, residing at their farm in Porter, Minnesota. When crop prices fell during the Great Depression, Culligan began seeking ventures other than farming to earn money for his growing family. He became interested in finding and perfecting ways to soften water. During this time he spent three years in Yuma, Arizona where he produced zeolite for softening water.

This collection is open for research.