William Foster Nye: The Lubricating Oil Pioneer Early Life and Background Born: Pocasset, Massachusetts, 1824. Died: New Bedford, Massachusetts, 1910. William Foster Nye began his career as an American businessman with a keen eye for opportunity. His early ventures involved establishing an oil and kerosene business in 1865. This initial enterprise was temporarily paused by the outbreak of the American Civil War, but Nye returned to New Bedford determined to innovate. The Birth of Nye Lubricants Recognizing a need for superior lubrication in delicate machinery, Nye shifted his f…