General Pencil Company
Our history dates back to 1860 when Edward Weissenborn helped found the first pencil factory in the USA in Hudson County, New Jersey. In 1889, Edward and his son, Oscar A., began what is now General Pencil Company in Jersey City, New Jersey. The goal is to create consistent, quality products in a sustainable manner for artists of all levels.
In 1965, General Pencil expanded operations into California to become closer to the incense cedar supply and to the Western markets it was developing. Oscar A. Weissenborn took over as President in the 1970’s, and James Weissenborn became CEO in 1979. James expanded the product line, James has led the company since then, and continues to inspire creative and innovative products for the fine artist along with his daughter and granddaughter.
In 2008 General Pencil was featured on the Modern Marvels Carbon episode, showing how a pencil is made at the General Pencil factory. In 2016 General Pencil Company was featured on ABC News with David Muir.
