Andrew Preston
Encyclopedia
Andrew Woodbury Preston (1846 – 1924) was a prominent American
businessman at the turn of the 20th century. In 1884, Preston and nine others formed the Boston Fruit Company
, the birth of the modern banana
business
. Later, in 1899, Preston and Minor C. Keith
combined ventures to form the United Fruit Company
. Preston was the president, and Keith became vice-president.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman at the turn of the 20th century. In 1884, Preston and nine others formed the Boston Fruit Company
Boston Fruit Company
The Boston Fruit Company was a fruit production and import business based in the port of Boston, Massachusetts. Andrew W. Preston and nine others established the firm to ship bananas and other fruit from the West Indes to north-eastern America. At the time, the banana was "considered a rare and...
, the birth of the modern banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
. Later, in 1899, Preston and Minor C. Keith
Minor C. Keith
Minor Cooper Keith was a U.S. railroad, fruit, and shipping magnate whose business activities had a profound impact in Central America and in Colombia.- Early life :...
combined ventures to form the United Fruit Company
United Fruit Company
It had a deep and long-lasting impact on the economic and political development of several Latin American countries. Critics often accused it of exploitative neocolonialism and described it as the archetypal example of the influence of a multinational corporation on the internal politics of the...
. Preston was the president, and Keith became vice-president.
Further reading
- "Andrew W. Preston." In: Massachusetts of today: a memorial of the state, historical and biographical, issued for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago. Columbia publishing company, 1892. Google books
- National cyclopaedia of American biography. 1910 Google books