William Knapp Buckley founder of Buckley’s cough syrup, “It tastes Awful. And it works”

On a mild February day at Mt. Hope Catholic Cemetery in Toronto, I came across the grave of pharmacist William K. Buckley—the man behind one of Canada’s most famously foul-tasting remedies: Buckley’s Cough and Cold Syrup.

In 1920, at his small drugstore on the corner of Dundas and Church Streets in downtown Toronto, Buckley concocted a potent mixture of natural ingredients to help soothe coughs and colds. The result? A formula with a taste few would forget—and a reputation that grew by word of mouth.

Years later, his son Frank Buckley, a travelling salesman turned company president after W.K.’s passing in 1978, took the business to the next level. Frank became the face of W.K. Buckley Ltd., embracing the product’s infamously awful taste with a brilliant stroke of marketing honesty.

The now-legendary slogan:
“It’s Awful. And it Works.”struck a chord with Canadians, and eventually audiences around the world. Under Frank’s leadership and wit, Buckley’s secured strong footholds in the U.S., Australia, and the Caribbean.

The Nova Scotian born Willam Knapp Buckley died in Toronto on January 3, 1978.

1890-1978