Martin Joseph Bogdanovich (November 5, 1882 – June 18, 1944) was a
Croatian American fisherman, entrepreneur, and founder of the seafood company now known as
StarKist
StarKist Tuna is a brand of tuna produced by StarKist Co., an American company formerly based in Pittsburgh's North Shore that is now wholly owned by Dongwon Industries of South Korea. It was purchased by Dongwon from the American food manufactur ...
.
Early life
Bogdanovich was born on November 5, 1882, on the
Island of Vis
Vis (; ; la, Issa, it, Lissa) is a small Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea. It is the farthest inhabited island off the Croatian mainland. Before the end of World War I, the island was held by the Liburnians, the Republic of Venice, the Nap ...
in the
Adriatic Sea off the
Dalmatian Coast of
Croatia, the son of Josip Bogdanović and Lukrecija Petronila Bogdanović.
In 1908, at the age of 26, Bogdanovich emigrated to the United States.
Career
Bogdanovich began
sardine fishing in Fish Harbor on
Terminal Island
Terminal Island, historically known as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington and San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles, and the city of Long Be ...
in 1910. In 1917, Bogdanovich incorporated the French Sardine Company.
The company quickly became a success, and Bogdanovich established himself as a leader in the California
fish canning
Canned or tinned fish are food fish which have been processed, sealed in an airtight container such as a sealed tin can, and subjected to heat. Canning is a method of preserving food, and provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five y ...
industry. Bogdanovich was noted for revolutionizing the fishing industry by mechanically
refrigerating their fish with crushed ice.
In the 1940s, Bogdanovich turned his operations to
tuna canning when California's coastal supply of sardines began to decrease. Under Bogdanovich's leadership, in 1942, the company began marketing its products under the "Star-Kist" brand name.
Bogdanovich was active in the company from its inception in 1917 until his death in 1944, when his son Joseph fully took over the family business. At the time of Bogdanovich's death, he had built his company into one of the largest tuna canneries in the world.
Personal life and death
In 1908, Bogdanovich married Antoinette Šimić, with whom he had one son and six daughters.
Bogdanovich died from a heart attack on June 18, 1944, in
San Pedro, California at the age of 61. He is buried in
Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Legacy
The Martin J. Bogdanovich Recreation Center in San Pedro is named after him.
See also
*
StarKist
StarKist Tuna is a brand of tuna produced by StarKist Co., an American company formerly based in Pittsburgh's North Shore that is now wholly owned by Dongwon Industries of South Korea. It was purchased by Dongwon from the American food manufactur ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogdanovich, Martin J.
1882 births
1944 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
American fishers
American food industry businesspeople
American food company founders
American people of Croatian descent
Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States