George Newell Armsby

George Newell Armsby (also known as George N. Armsby and George Armsby) (10 August 1876 in Evanston, Illinois – 24 March 1942 in New York City, New York) was an American entrepreneur, most noted for his drive toward corporate mergers in the first half of the 20th century: first the merger of California food companies that resulted in California Packing Corporation, which sold under the Del Monte and Sunkist labels.

Armsby was on the board of numerous corporations, including Curtiss-Wright (where he served as Chairman), Universal Pictures, Bancamerica-Blair, and many others. He was associated throughout his business life with John Cheever Cowdin, with whom he ran Universal Pictures; they were also both involved in the formation of Transcontinental Air Transport, Inc., which was later a foundation of TWA.

Armsby was the son of food-packing entrepreneur James Kendall Armsby. He went to work for his father's concern, J.K. Armsby Co., and on 28 December 1898 he married Leonora Chestnut Wood, daughter of Colorado mining entrepreneur Tingley Sylvanus Wood.

In the mid-1910s he conceived a plan to unite California's food-packing companies under a single association, and he went to New York to secure the $16,000,000 in financing necessary to do it. Blair & Co. and William Salomon & Co. lent him the funds, and California Packing Corporation was founded.

After serving on the Priorities Commission of the War Industries Board, her persuaded his two lenders on the CalPack deal to merge and he went to work for the new concern, Blair & Co., Inc. In time, the new enterprise was bought by Transamerica, and Armsby found himself working under his friend and fellow fruit-grower Amadeo Giannini. In time, this link would prove crucial to Armsby's next venture.

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