Fulton, Kerwin H.

Kerwin Holmes Fulton (17 Mar 1885-11 Dec 1955) was a New York City advertising executive. In 1959 he was posthumously inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.

He was born in Truro, Nova Scotia, and came to New York in 1904.

Holmes was elected as a Non-Professional member (today called a Patron) of The Lambs in 1919.

Fulton obtained his first job in outdoor advertising at age 19 when he migrated to New York. A born organizer and salesman, he was devoted to the standardization and advancement of his industry.

He was instrumental in raising the standards of the then infant and unorganized outdoor advertising medium. He led in the replacement of crude wooden poster structures with standardized steel sections. He also initiated and secured acceptance of standard service and traffic exposure methods, which gained the medium greater respect among advertisers.

Fulton’s passion for elevating his industry was furthered by his organizational abilities. In 1925 he helped form the General Outdoor Advertising Co., serving as its first president. He resigned in 1931 to become president of Outdoor Advertising, Incorporated, the medium’s national sales organization. Under Fulton’s aggressive leadership, a strong sales network was set up throughout the country.

Fulton also showed interest in the challenges and opportunities of the ad industry through his leadership in the organization of the Ad Council and his service as its vice chairman. He was also secretary-treasurer and director of the Traffic Audit Bureau as well as a former chairman of the board of the Outdoor Advertising Association of America Inc.

He spent his entire career in outdoor advertising. He rose to chairman and chief executive officer of Outdoor Advertising, Inc.

Kerwin Holmes Fulton died of heart disease on Dec. 11, 1955, in New York. He was 70 years old. He is interred in Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York, in the Ferncliff Mausoleum, M05P, BBB, Vault 1.