Armour & Company

Armour & Company was a major American corporation founded by Philip Danforth Armour. He was an entrepreneur and innovator who significantly contributed to making Chicago the world's meatpacking capital.1

Armour's business ventures began in California mining, then expanded into grain dealing and meatpacking in Milwaukee. He shrewdly profited from pork price fluctuations during the American Civil War. By 1875, he led the family's Chicago-based firm, introducing new slaughtering techniques, utilizing waste products, and pioneering canned meat sales. With the advent of refrigeration, he established distribution networks across the U.S. and began exporting meat to Europe.1

Philip Armour also engaged in philanthropy, founding the Armour Mission and the Armour Institute of Technology in Chicago. His company continued to thrive after his death, becoming the world's largest meatpacking firm before its sale in 1970.1