Cudahy Packing Company
Encyclopedia
Cudahy Packing Company was a U.S. meat packing company established in 1887 as the Armour-Cudahy Packing Company and incorporated in Maine
in 1915. It was founded by Patrick Cudahy
(March 17, 1849 - July 25, 1919) and his brother John Cudahy
, Irish immigrants from County Kilkenny
who came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
to avoid the Great Irish Famine. The original business is no longer in existence, but legacies are evident in Cudahy, Wisconsin
(established by Patrick Cudahy as a base for his meatpacking business that still exists as the Patrick Cudahy division of Smithfield Foods).
The Cudahy company was established by Irish immigrant Patrick Cudahy
(who was born in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1849). As an adolescent he worked at packing houses and during the off-season at nurseries. At 25 in 1874 he became Superintendent of Milwaukee's largest meat packing plant, Plankinton and Armour. He helped the business adjust to industry changes from barreled pork to cured meat and was given a one-sixteenth interest in the business. In the 1870s the business moved to Chicago
.
Patrick's brother John Cudahy was also involved in the business and together they took it over in 1888. Cudahy Bros. was split off in 1892, because Patrick "was unhappy with his business relations with William Woods Plankinton" (John's son). Patrick Cudahy bought 700 acres (2.8 km²) of land in what became Cudahy, Wisconsin
, with two-thirds financing from his silent partner, John Cudahy. The oldest of Patrick's sons, Michael F. Cudahy (May 27, 1886 - May 20, 1970), a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, joined the company as Treasurer in 1908, became Vice-President in 1909, Executive Manager in 1913, and President after his father's death in 1919. Michael remained as President until 1961, when his son, Richard D. Cudahy, succeeded him. The Patrick Cudahy Co. meatpacking business is now part of Smithfield Foods
.
, Kansas City
, Sioux City
, Wichita
, Memphis
, East Chicago
, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles
, as well as distribution operations in 97 cities. In 1956 Cudahy acquired Blue Ribbon Packing Company of Houston.
The company's main business was supplying European markets with cured pork, but in the 1920s it was forced adapt to tariffs imposed by Britain on American products ("giving preference to products imported from Commonwealth countries"). The company changed production to focus on domestic sales of "semi-perishable canned hams (one of the first U.S. packers to produce this product), sliced dried beef, Italian-style sausage and sliced bacon."
In 1887 Michael Cudahy and his brothers started an Armour-Cudahy packing plant
in Omaha, Nebraska. The Cudahy Packing Co. was created in 1890 when Michael bought Armour's interest. The company added branches across the country, including a cleaning products plant at East Chicago, Indiana, built in 1909. In 1911 the company's headquarters were transferred from Omaha to Chicago.
By the mid-1920s, Cudahy was one of the nation's leading food companies, with over $200 million in annual sales and 13,000 employees around the country. The business was hit by the Great Depression, but the company still employed about 1,000 Chicago-area residents during the mid-1930s. Following World War II it moved its headquarters first to Omaha and then in 1965 to Phoenix
, where it took the name Cudahy Co. In 1957, the company was one of 500 companies listed in the first S&P 500.
The company was dismantled in the 1970s, after it was purchased by General Host in 1968.
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in 1915. It was founded by Patrick Cudahy
Patrick Cudahy
Patrick Cudahy, Jr. ; March 17, 1849 - July 25, 1919) was an American industrialist in the meat packing business and a patriarch of the Cudahy family.-Background:...
(March 17, 1849 - July 25, 1919) and his brother John Cudahy
John Cudahy
John Clarence Cudahy was a real estate broker and American ambassador to Poland, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg. He was a Democrat.-Early life:...
, Irish immigrants from County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
who came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
to avoid the Great Irish Famine. The original business is no longer in existence, but legacies are evident in Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,429 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally known as the Buckhorn Settlement, it was renamed in the late 1800s when Patrick Cudahy purchased 700 acres of land in the Town of Lake, two miles from the Milwaukee city...
(established by Patrick Cudahy as a base for his meatpacking business that still exists as the Patrick Cudahy division of Smithfield Foods).
History
Patrick Cudahy
Patrick Cudahy, Jr. ; March 17, 1849 - July 25, 1919) was an American industrialist in the meat packing business and a patriarch of the Cudahy family.-Background:...
(who was born in Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1849). As an adolescent he worked at packing houses and during the off-season at nurseries. At 25 in 1874 he became Superintendent of Milwaukee's largest meat packing plant, Plankinton and Armour. He helped the business adjust to industry changes from barreled pork to cured meat and was given a one-sixteenth interest in the business. In the 1870s the business moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Patrick's brother John Cudahy was also involved in the business and together they took it over in 1888. Cudahy Bros. was split off in 1892, because Patrick "was unhappy with his business relations with William Woods Plankinton" (John's son). Patrick Cudahy bought 700 acres (2.8 km²) of land in what became Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,429 at the 2000 census.-History:Originally known as the Buckhorn Settlement, it was renamed in the late 1800s when Patrick Cudahy purchased 700 acres of land in the Town of Lake, two miles from the Milwaukee city...
, with two-thirds financing from his silent partner, John Cudahy. The oldest of Patrick's sons, Michael F. Cudahy (May 27, 1886 - May 20, 1970), a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, joined the company as Treasurer in 1908, became Vice-President in 1909, Executive Manager in 1913, and President after his father's death in 1919. Michael remained as President until 1961, when his son, Richard D. Cudahy, succeeded him. The Patrick Cudahy Co. meatpacking business is now part of Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods, Inc. is the world’s largest pork producer and processor. Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, it runs facilities in 26 U.S. states, including the world's largest meat-processing plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina, and has operations in Brazil, China, France, Mexico, Poland,...
.
Growth to become one of largest packing houses
By 1922 Cudahy Packing Co. was one of the largest packing houses in the U.S. with operations in South OmahaSouth Omaha, Nebraska
South Omaha, Nebraska is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth due to the rapid development of the Union Stockyards. Annexed by the City of Omaha in 1915, the...
, Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Sioux City
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
, Wichita
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, East Chicago
East Chicago, Indiana
East Chicago is a city in Lake County, Indiana. The population was 29,698 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Chicago is located at ....
, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, as well as distribution operations in 97 cities. In 1956 Cudahy acquired Blue Ribbon Packing Company of Houston.
The company's main business was supplying European markets with cured pork, but in the 1920s it was forced adapt to tariffs imposed by Britain on American products ("giving preference to products imported from Commonwealth countries"). The company changed production to focus on domestic sales of "semi-perishable canned hams (one of the first U.S. packers to produce this product), sliced dried beef, Italian-style sausage and sliced bacon."
In 1887 Michael Cudahy and his brothers started an Armour-Cudahy packing plant
Cudahy Packing Plant (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Cudahy Packing Plant was a division of the Cudahy Packing Company located at South 36th and O Streets in South Omaha, Nebraska. The plant was opened in 1885 and closed in 1967. The plant included more than 20 buildings that were one to six stories tall, covering five square blocks...
in Omaha, Nebraska. The Cudahy Packing Co. was created in 1890 when Michael bought Armour's interest. The company added branches across the country, including a cleaning products plant at East Chicago, Indiana, built in 1909. In 1911 the company's headquarters were transferred from Omaha to Chicago.
By the mid-1920s, Cudahy was one of the nation's leading food companies, with over $200 million in annual sales and 13,000 employees around the country. The business was hit by the Great Depression, but the company still employed about 1,000 Chicago-area residents during the mid-1930s. Following World War II it moved its headquarters first to Omaha and then in 1965 to Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, where it took the name Cudahy Co. In 1957, the company was one of 500 companies listed in the first S&P 500.
The company was dismantled in the 1970s, after it was purchased by General Host in 1968.
Recent events
In 2009 a fire at the "sprawling complex of 1.4 million square feet" at the 121-year-old Patrick Cudahy meatpacking plant: "drained [Milwaukee's] water supply and tested the patience of hundreds of residents forced from their homes by the threat of smoke that billowed from the blaze through a second night." The smell was described as "sometimes appetizing", but the loss was termed "devastating". The cause of the fire was determined to be a military flare. In October 2009, two brothers were sentenced to 90 days jail each for causing the fire.Further reading
- Cudahy Packing Co. Encyclopedia of Chicago
- Patrick Cudahy, His Life autobiography (1912)
- History of Cudahy Packing Company and meat packing industry from the Nebraska State Historical Society (RG1605.AM)