Gustavus Franklin Swift
Organization founder
1839 – 1903
Who was Gustavus Franklin Swift?
Gustavus Franklin Swift founded a meat-packing empire in the Midwest during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death. He is credited with the development of the first practical ice-cooled railroad car which allowed his company to ship dressed meats to all parts of the country and even abroad, which ushered in the "era of cheap beef." Swift pioneered the use of animal by-products for the manufacture of soap, glue, fertilizer, various types of sundries, and even medical products.
Swift donated large sums of money to such institutions as the University of Chicago, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Young Men's Christian Association. He established Northwestern University's "School of Oratory" in memory of his daughter, Annie May Swift, who died while a student there. When he died in 1903, his company was valued at between US$125 million and $135 million, and had a workforce that was more than 21,000 strong. "The House of Swift" slaughtered as many as two million cattle, four million hogs, and two million sheep a year. Three years after his death, the value of the company's capital stock topped $250 million.
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- Born
- Jun 24, 1839
Sagamore - Spouses
- Annie Higgins
(1861/01/03 - 1903/03/29)
- Annie Higgins
- Died
- Mar 29, 1903
Lake Forest
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
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"Gustavus Franklin Swift." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 1 Jun 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/people/en/gustavus_franklin_swift>.
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