Oscar G. Mayer Sr.
| Oscar G. Mayer Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Oscar Gottfried Mayer Sr. 1888 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | March 5, 1965 (aged 76–77) Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
St. Ambrose University Beloit College University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Elsa Stiglitz (m. ?) |
| Children | 4 (including Oscar G. Mayer Jr.) |
| Parent(s) |
Oscar F. Mayer Louise Greiner |
Oscar Gottfried Mayer Sr. (ca. 1888 – March 5, 1965) was an American business executive who served as chairman and president of Oscar Mayer, the processed-meat firm founded by his father.
In his youth, Mayer spent much of his time helping out in the Chicago store his father established, and his sausage-packing plant nearby. He attended Harvard University, graduating in 1909.
Mayer then went to work in the operations department of the family business. In 1919, Mayer oversaw the acquisition of a meat-packing plant in Madison, Wisconsin that became the firm's major processing facility (and later the site of its corporate headquarters), growing the Madison unit to employ 3,000 to 4,000 workers by the time of his death. Mayer was named as the firm's president in 1928, and served in that role until March 1955 when he was appointed as the company's chairman. Under his leadership, the company grew from 200 employees and $4 million in annual sales, to 8,500 employees and $300 million in yearly revenues by 1965.
As an adjunct to his post at Oscar Mayer, he served from 1924 to 1928 as president of the Institute of American Meat Packers (later known as the American Meat Institute), advancing its interest in improving the quality of meat sold in the United States and encouraging consumers to consume more meat.
In February 1966, his son Oscar G. Mayer Jr. was named as the firm's chairman, filling the vacancy created in the post when Mayer Sr. died.
At the urging of the Mayor of Chicago, Carter Harrison Jr., Mayer became involved in Chicago civic organizations, starting in 1912 when he was named to the board of the Chicago Public Library. He was a longtime participant in the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry, serving as its president from 1938 to 1940. He served on the board of trustees of the University of Illinois from 1934 to 1940, and as its chairman in 1938 and 1939.
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