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(1832-1901) He built the
largest meat packing company in the nation. He was born May 16, 1832, in
Stockbridge, New York. The Armours for generations had lived in the area
know as Argyllshire. The chief city being Campbelltown. The Armours
arrived in the Colonies from Scotland during the middle of the eighteenth
century before the American Revolution. Philip Armour was educated at
Cazenovia Academy in New York and then worked on the family farm. He later
set out across the country to participate in the gold fields of
California. He moved from California to Wisconsin with a sizeable fortune
and started a wholesale grocery business. In association with his brother,
Herman, he became involved in grain commissions and meat packing plants.
Out of these ventures came the firm of Armour and Company with
headquarters in Chicago. It was destined to become the nation's largest
meat packer with world-wide operations. He was an innovator of many of the
modern livestock management techniques. He built low cost rental
apartments for his workers and founded the Armour Institute of Technology
which is now known as the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was said
that, "He was one of the most generous supporters of the Scottish
organization known as the Illinois Saint Andrew Society." He died
January 6, 1901, in Chicago. His son, J. Ogden Armour would carry on the
benevolent ideals of the family. |
