Intro
Philip Danforth Armour was born on May 16th 1832 in Stockbridge, New York. He attended the Cazenovia Academy and dropped out of school to work at the family farm. Before settling in Wisconsin and becoming a business tycoon Armour had multiple jobs across the east and west. In California he worked in the gold fields and made enough money. With this, he moved to Wisconsin where he started off with his own grocery store business. With his brothers, Armour entered the meat industry in Chicago and established Armour&Co in 1867.
How did these men organize their businesses?
Philip Armor operated a large scaled meat packing business that also had its own refrigeration trucks. With fast production came poor working conditions. Workers were paid frugally while working long hours and were often sick due to poor sanitary conditions. Slaughtering of the hogs took place mainly during the wintertime. The meat products were transported by the Armour Refrigerated Truck Lines. The transcontinental railroad was well established by this time and he used this to enter markets across the country, and in Europe. Armour was, also, a pioneer in continuous production- conveyor belts and natural ice.
What led to their successes?
Armour’s business methodology was to “use everything”. In slaughtering animals he used everything. From just a hog he was able to make glue, lard, gelatin, and also margarine products. He capitalized on animals that were thrown into the Chicago River. Philip was convinced that the meatpacking industry was promising in Chicago and with his family established “Armour&Co”. Armour was a true American- he believed in hard work and capitalization of new un-touched markets through vast and quick production.
Conclusion
Amour- a businessman from the Gilded Age was a Robber Barron. He capitalized on the meatpacking industry. Although the company was known for its poor working conditions, it fed America during the Civil war and after.
Works Cited
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Gayatri Desai
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