Gustavus Swift
| Gustavus Franklin Swift | |
|---|---|
Gustavus Swift, 1903
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| Born |
June 24, 1839 Sagamore, Massachusetts |
| Died | March 29, 1903 (aged 63) Lake Forest, Illinois |
| Resting place | 41°40′52″N 87°41′27″W / 41.681099°N 87.690804°WCoordinates: 41°40′52″N 87°41′27″W / 41.681099°N 87.690804°W |
| Education | High School |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Maria Higgins |
| Children | 11 (2 died before reaching adulthood): Louis, Edward Foster, Annie May, Helen Louise, Charles Henry, Herbert L., George Hastings, Gustavus F. Jr., Ruth May, and Harold Higgins |
| Parent(s) | William Swift and Sally Crowell |
Gustavus Franklin Swift (June 24, 1839 – March 29, 1903) was an American business executive. He 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 abroad, ushering 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 (YMCA). 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. He and his family are interred in a mausoleum in Mount Hope Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.
Swift was the ninth of 12 offspring born to William Swift and Sally Crowell, descendants of British settlers who went to New England in the 17th century. The family (which included Gustavus’ brothers Noble and Edwin) lived and worked on a farm in the Cape Cod town of West Sandwich, Massachusetts (present-day Sagamore), where they raised and slaughtered cattle, sheep, and hogs. This is where he got the idea of packing meat.
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