bridging the company’s family roots with its operational growth. While not as celebrated as founder Tom Lyle Williams, Chet’s contributions in manufacturing helped solidify Maybelline’s success.
Chet Hewes entered the Williams family orbit when he met Mabel at church in Chicago, in the early 1920s. By then, Maybelline—launched in 1915 and incorporated as Maybelline Laboratories in 1917—was gaining traction with its cake mascara. After marrying Mabel on April 15, 1926, Chet didn’t just join the family; he joined the business. Tom Lyle, ever the family-oriented entrepreneur, brought Chet into the fold, leveraging his skills to support the company’s expansion. By the late 1920s or early 1930s, he was working in production—a practical role that suited his steady, hands-on nature.Chet’s primary contribution was in mascara manufacturing. As Maybelline shifted from mail-order to drugstore shelves in the 1930s, demand surged. Chet took on a supervisory position, eventually rising to manage the mascara production department. This wasn’t glamorous work—think overseeing the mixing of pigments, oils, and waxes, then packaging the product into tins or, later, tubes—but it was critical. Sharrie hints at this in The Maybelline Story, portraying Chet as a reliable cog in Tom Lyle’s machine, ensuring the product Mabel inspired reached customers consistently.
Role in Scaling Production (1930s-1950s)Chet’s tenure spanned Maybelline’s formative decades. In the 1930s, when Tom Lyle introduced the affordable 10-cent mascara to survive the Great Depression, Chet’s oversight ensured production could scale efficiently without sacrificing quality. By the 1940s and 1950s, as the company innovated with cream mascara in tubes and waterproof formulas, Chet managed the transition to new equipment and processes. His role wasn’t about inventing products—Tom Lyle and hired chemists handled that—but about execution. He kept the factory humming in Chicago, where Maybelline remained headquartered until Tom Lyle’s later years.
“Auntie Mabel” and her crew—imply he husband Chet's steady presence bolstered the Williams clan’s involvement, loyal to both Mabel and Tom Lyle. His paycheck came from Maybelline, tying the Hewes household to the company’s fortunes.
Post-Sale Transition (1967 and Beyond)Chet’s role wound down when Tom Lyle sold Maybelline to Plough Inc. in 1967 for $135 million. By then, he’d spent decades in production, possibly retiring around the sale. The sale marked the end of the Williams family’s direct control, but Chet’s long service had helped build the brand’s value. Sharrie’s pride in this era shines through when she ties Mabel’s legacy to the company’s peak, indirectly crediting Chet’s behind-the-scenes labor.
Personality and ImpactChet wasn’t a flashy figure. He complemented Mabel’s nurturing vibe. His role didn’t earn headlines—Tom Lyle’s marketing flair and Hollywood ties stole that spotlight—but it was foundational. Manufacturing mascara sounds mundane, yet Chet’s management ensured the product’s consistency and availability, key to Maybelline’s growth from a mail-order outfit to a drugstore staple. He bridged Mabel’s inspiration to the masses, a quiet link in the chain.
Chet was, a symbol of loyalty and stability. Mabel’s rock and Tom Lyle’s trusted ally. Without Chet, Maybelline’s production might’ve faltered under early pressures.Chet’s role was nuts-and-bolts: managing the making of mascara so Tom Lyle could sell the dream.