Louis Swift
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Louis Franklin Swift (September 27, 1861 – May 12, 1937[1]) was an American industrialist.[2][3]
Biography
[edit]Born in Sagamore, Massachusetts, Swift moved with his family to Chicago, Illinois, in 1875, when the city's cattle market was expanding.[1][4] His father Gustavus had developed refrigerated railway cars for transporting fresh meat to eastern markets, enabling processed meat to be shipped directly from slaughterhouses in Chicago.[4]
After completing high school, Louis Swift began working at Swift & Company and gained experience by selecting and purchasing cattle at the Chicago stockyards.[4] He served as the company's treasurer from its incorporation in 1885 until 1895, when he became vice president.[4] Upon his father's death in 1903, Swift assumed the presidency, a position he held until 1931.[4][5] During his tenure, Swift & Company expanded its product range into dairy and poultry, and developed industrial uses for slaughter by-products, such as soap, fertilizer, glue, and oleomargarine.[4] Swift also implemented employee-oriented measures, including safety campaigns and stock investment plans.[4]
In 1918, Swift was included in the Forbes Rich List and was the 23rd richest person.[6]
From 1931 to 1932, Swift served as chairman of the company's board.[4][7] In 1927, he co-authored a biography of his father, titled The Yankee of the Yards, with Arthur Van Vlissingen, Jr.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Swift, Louis Franklin". Swift, Louis Franklin (1861–1937). Continuum. 2005.
{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help) - ^ "Louis Swift dead: Chicago packer, 75; Son of Firm's Founder Headed Company as President and Retired as Chairman". New York Times. 13 May 1937.
- ^ "Louis F. Swift will disposes of 1 million estate: Members of family are chief beneficiaries". Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963). Chicago, Ill. 5 June 1937. p. 12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Louis F. Swift". Britannica Kids. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ "Swift: Louis of Lake Forest". Classic Chicago Magazine. 10 January 2021.
- ^ "Louis Franklin Swift (1861-1937)". American Aristocracy.
- ^ "Louis F. Swiftr Quits Packing House Board: With Company Since Founding in 1885; Decline of 24 P. C. Shown in Sales". The Herald Tribune Bureau. New York Herald Tribune (1926-1962); New York, N.Y. 6 Jan 1933. p. 36 – via Proquest.
- ^ Osgood, Ernest S. (June 1928). "Reviewed Work: The Yankee of the Yards: The Biography of Gustavus Franklin Swift by Louis F. Swift in collaboration with Arthur Van Vlissingen Jr". The Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 15 (1): 142–144. doi:10.2307/1891698. JSTOR 1891698.