Joseph Albert Campbell (May 15, 1817 – March 27, 1900) was an American businessman who is best known for founding Campbell Soup Company in 1869 when he partnered with Abraham Anderson.[1][2][3]

Joseph Campbell
Born
Joseph Albert Campbell

(1817-05-15)May 15, 1817
DiedMarch 27, 1900(1900-03-27) (aged 82)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur
Years active1869–1894
Known forFounder of
Campbell Soup Company

Early life

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Campbell was born on May 15, 1817, in Bridgeton, New Jersey,[4] the son of James Campbell, a blacksmith (1786–1856) and Hannah Ogden Campbell, who married in 1810. His parents were Presbyterian fruit farmers.[5] Joseph was one of eight brothers and sisters including Charles, James Campbell Jr., John, Hannah, Ebenezer Davis, Mary Sharp Campbell Clark and Benjamin Franklin Campbell.[6]

Campbell's Soup

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The Jos. A. Campbell Preserve Co., Camden, NJ in 1894.

In 1869, Campbell founded the company that would become Campbell's Soup. In 1894 he retired and Arthur Dorrance became the company president.[7] In 1895 the first can of ready-to-eat tomato soup was available.[8]

The company was reorganized into Joseph Campbell & Co. in 1896. In 1897, John T. Dorrance, a nephew of Arthur Dorrance, began working for the company at a wage of $7.50 per week.[3][9] Dorrance, a chemist with degrees from MIT and Göttingen University, Germany, developed a commercially viable method for condensing soup by halving the quantity of its heaviest ingredient: water. He went on to become president of the company from 1914 to 1930, eventually buying out the Campbell family.

The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campbell's branded products is an American cultural icon, and its use in pop art was typified by Andy Warhol's series of Campbell's Soup Cans prints.[8]

Death

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Campbell died on March 27, 1900, in Riverton, New Jersey. He is buried in Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Abraham Anderson" (PDF). The New York Times. June 12, 1915. Retrieved 2010-10-28. Abraham Anderson, a veteran soup maker and founder of the business of the Joseph Campbell Company, died on Wednesday night at his home in Haddonfield. ...
  2. ^ Africano, Lillian; Africano, Nina (2006). You Know You're in New Jersey When. Globe Pequot Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-7627-3939-4. Founded in Camden in 1869 by Joseph Campbell and Abraham Anderson, this successful business ...
  3. ^ a b Heide, Robert; Gilman, John (April 18, 2006). New Jersey: Daytripping, Backroads, Eateries, Funky Adventures. Macmillan. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-3123-4156-5. The Campbell's Soup Company was begun when Joseph Campbell, a fruit merchant, and Abram Anderson, an icebox manufacturer, ... Arthur Dorance and Joseph Campbell then formed a new company called the Joseph Campbell Preserve Company. ...
  4. ^ Lurie, Maxine N.; Mappen, Marc, eds. (2004). "Joseph Campbell". Encyclopedia of New Jersey. p. 115. ISBN 978-0-8135-3325-4. Retrieved 2010-10-28. .... Joseph Campbell was born in Bridgeton, the son of Presbyterian fruit-farmers. His marriage to Sarah Boyd Foster in ...
  5. ^ Lurie, Maxine N.; Lurie, Maxine; Michael Siegel, M. D.; Mappen, Marc (2004). Encyclopedia of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-3325-4. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ^ "Joseph A. Campbell (1817–1900)". FamilySearch. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  7. ^ Cox, J. (2008). Sold on Radio: Advertisers in the Golden Age of Broadcasting. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-7864-5176-0. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  8. ^ a b "About Us". Campbell's Company. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  9. ^ "Timeline". Campbell's Company. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Joseph A. Campbell: Founder of Campbell's Soup". Cook's Info. April 26, 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
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