Larus And Brother Company
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Larus and Brother Company (1877–1968) was a diversified
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
company headquartered in
Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
. The company manufactured
pipe tobacco A tobacco pipe, often called simply a pipe, is a device specifically made to smoke tobacco. It comprises a chamber (the bowl) for the tobacco from which a thin hollow stem (shank) emerges, ending in a mouthpiece. Pipes can range from very simpl ...
,
cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into Rolling paper, thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhale ...
s, and
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
. It also operated local
radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3  hertz (Hz) and 300  gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...
and
television station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth's s ...
s.


History

Charles D. Larus and Herbert C. Larus purchased the Richmond-based Harris Tobacco Company and founded Larus and Brother Company in 1877. They manufactured pipe and
chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco, smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower Gums, gum to draw out its flavor. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; it is not gr ...
. In 1882, Herbert Clinton Larus died and William Thomas Reed, his nephew, became the company's partner and general manager. For the rest of its history, the company was led by members of the Reed and Larus families. The company was dissolved on June 10, 1968. Larus Investing Company, a holding company, was established for the tobacco and media businesses. The tobacco subsidiary, Larus and Brother Company, was sold later that year. In 1969, the last media subsidiary was sold. The
Virginia Historical Society The Virginia Museum of History and Culture founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private, ...
holds Larus and Brother Company records at the Reynolds Business History Center.


Industries


Tobacco

From 1878 to 1897, the company relied on prison labor at the Virginia State Penitentiary. After that, it operated for more than 75 years on Twenty-first Street (along Tobacco Row) in Richmond. Larus and Brother Company incorporated in 1900. By 1901, the company's workers were represented by the Tobacco Workers International Union (TWIU). Edgeworth tobacco products were introduced in 1903 and became the best selling pipe tobacco in its price class. Edgeworth Sliced tobacco was the first pipe tobacco product to be advertised nationally. Broken into smaller pieces, Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed was introduced in 1912. The company began to manufacture cigarettes after it purchased the Reed Tobacco Company and adopted it as a subsidiary in 1913. Distribution companies were opened in
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and
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
in the early 1930s. In 1935, Larus bought the plug tobacco plant, Sparrow and Graveley of
Martinsville, Virginia Martinsville is an Political subdivisions of Virginia#Independent cities, independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13, ...
, which was closed in 1942 because it was unprofitable. The plug tobacco operations were transferred to Richmond. Holiday, the aromatic smoking tobacco company, was purchased in 1942. Holiday and Edgeworth were Larus' best selling products. The company's tobacco supply went to the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
and
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during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
and II. Packets of four cigarettes were labeled with the words, "I Shall Return", and distributed secretly in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. The company hired both white and black workers, who were segregated based upon the type of work. African-Americans, primarily women, worked in the stemmery and on the third floor; they performed the most difficult and labor-intensive work. White women worked on the main floor. Black women earned 20 to 25 cents less per hour in 1942 and were unable to apply for the higher paid positions performed by white women. In 1942, the
United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America The United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America (UCAPAWA) was a labor union formed in 1937 and incorporated large numbers of Mexican, black, Asian, and Anglo food processing workers under its banner. The founders envisioned ...
union organized the third-floor manufacturing and stemmery workers at Larus and Brother. The
Fair Employment Practice Committee The Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC) was created in 1941 in the United States to implement Executive Order 8802 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt "banning discriminatory employment practices by Federal agencies and all unions and com ...
(FEPC) was brought in to investigate whether there were discriminatory practices in 1942, but dropped the case. Although the pay scale was still inequitable, black workers received a pay increase in 1944. By 1944, the TWIU represented both black and white workers with segregated locals, which was challenged as a biased practice by the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...
. The following year, the
National Labor Relations Board The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States that enforces United States labor law, U.S. labor law in relation to collect ...
(NLRB) and the Regional War Labor Board required the union to allow black workers to join the white workers' local. As more people began to smoke cigarettes, the company's profits from pipe tobacco began to decline and the company sought to diversify. Larus and Brother Company, the tobacco subsidiary of Larus Investing Company, was sold to Rothman's of Canada, Limited on October 18, 1968.


Media

A wholly owned Larus subsidiary, WRVA radio, was created on November 2, 1925. WRVA-TV, a television station, was established in 1953 by the company's subsidiary, Richmond Television Corporation. The television station was sold to Jefferson Standard Broadcasting Company of
Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...
in 1968. The AM and FM radio stations were sold in 1969 to the Southern Broadcasting Company of
Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
.


Charcoal

The company operated a charcoal plant in 1960 after purchasing Charcoal Industries, Inc. Four years later, the charcoal plant closed; it was called the Terrace Products Company.


Notes


References


Further reading

* * {{Coord, 37, 31, 51.49, N, 77, 25, 29.76, W, display=title Tobacco companies of the United States American companies established in 1877 1877 establishments in Virginia Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1968 1968 disestablishments in Virginia Manufacturing companies based in Richmond, Virginia Defunct manufacturing companies based in Virginia