Joseph Albert Campbell (May 15, 1817 – March 27, 1900) was an American businessman who is best known for founding

Campbell Soup Company The Campbell's Company (doing business as Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campbe ...

in 1869 when he partnered with

Abraham Anderson Abraham Anderson (1832 – June 10, 1915) was an American businessman, the founder of the Anderson Preserving Company in 1860. In 1869 he partnered with Joseph A. Campbell and their company became Campbell's Soup in 1920. Biography He was born ...

Early life

Campbell was born on May 15, 1817, in

Bridgeton, New Jersey Bridgeton is a City (New Jersey), city in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, within the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the county seat of Cumberland County blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

(1786–1856) and Hannah Ogden Campbell, who married in 1810. His parents were

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

fruit farmers. 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.

Campbell's Soup

In 1869, Campbell founded the company that would become

Campbell's Soup The Campbell's Company (doing business as Campbell's and formerly known as the Campbell Soup Company) is an American company, most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products. The classic red-and-white can design used by many Campb ...

. In 1894 he retired and Arthur Dorrance became the company president. In 1895 the first can of ready-to-eat tomato soup was available. The company was reorganized into Joseph Campbell & Co. in 1896. In 1897,

John T. Dorrance John Thompson Dorrance (November 11, 1873 – September 21, 1930) was an American chemist who discovered a method to create condensed soup, and was president of the Campbell Soup Company from 1914 to 1930. Early life Born in Bristol, Pennsylvan ...

, a nephew of Arthur Dorrance, began working for the company at a wage of $7.50 per week. Dorrance, a chemist with degrees from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

and

Göttingen University Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 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 Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...

's series of Campbell's Soup Cans prints.

Death

Campbell died on March 27, 1900, in

Riverton, New Jersey Riverton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough located in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,764, a decrease of 15 (−.5%) from the ...

. He is buried in

Woodlands Cemetery The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It includes a Federal-style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed int ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Joseph A. 1817 births 1900 deaths People from Bridgeton, New Jersey Campbell's people American company founders Burials at The Woodlands Cemetery 19th-century American businesspeople