Peter Ballantine (November 16, 1791 – January 23, 1883) was the founder of Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Early life

He was born on November 16, 1791, in

Dundee Dundee (; ; or , ) is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, fourth-largest city in Scotland. The mid-year population estimate for the locality was . It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firt ...

, Scotland. He decided to leave Scotland due to the "pressure of poverty and the call to great achievement."

Career

In 1820, Ballantine emigrated to

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

where he learned brewing. By 1830, he had established his own brewery there. In 1840, he moved to

, and partnered with Erastus Patterson to form

P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company P. Ballantine & Sons Brewing Company is a beer brand that was founded in 1845 in Newark, New Jersey. At its peak in the mid-20th century, it was the third-largest brewer in the United States, trailing only Anheuser-Busch and Schlitz. The brand ...

, and leased the old High Street Brewery that had been built in 1805 by John R. Cumming. In 1845, Ballantine pulled out of the partnership, and, five years later, built his own brewery on the

Passaic River The Passaic River ( or ) is a river, approximately long, in North Jersey, northern New Jersey. The river in its upper course flows in a highly circuitous route, meandering through the swamp lowlands between the ridge hills of rural and suburb ...

, known as

. In 1857, he took his sons as partners, and he became the wealthiest man in Newark.

Personal life

In 1830, Ballantine married Julia Wilson (1796–1868), daughter of David Wilson and Abigail Gillespie, of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

. Together, Peter and Julia were the parents of the following children, all of whom were born in Albany: * Peter Hood Ballantine (1831–1882), who married the English-born Isabella Linen (1835–1911). * John Holme Ballantine (1834–1895), who married Jeannette Boyd (1838–1919). * Robert Francis Ballantine (1836–1905), who married Anna Elizabeth Brown (1838–1926) of New Jersey. His wife died in Newark on June 7, 1868 of "remittent fever". Peter Ballantine died at his home in

, aged 91 after three weeks of

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

, on January 23, 1883. He was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.

Descendants

Through his eldest son, he was the grandfather of Sara Linen Ballantine (1858–1940), who married the lawyer, and eventual president of the Ballantine breweries,

George Griswold Frelinghuysen George Griswold Frelinghuysen (May 9, 1851 – April 21, 1936) was an American patent lawyer, and president of P. Ballantine & Sons Company, a New Jersey brewery. Early life Frelinghuysen was born in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 1851. He was ...

(1851–1936), a son of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

and

U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

Frederick T. Frelinghuysen Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen (August 4, 1817May 20, 1885) was an American lawyer and politician from New Jersey who served as a U.S. Senator and later as United States Secretary of State under President Chester A. Arthur. Frelinghuysen was ...

. He was a great-grandfather to

Peter Hood Ballantine Cumming Peter Hood Ballantine Cumming (August 1, 1910 – November 16, 1988) was an executive in several firms and served as Mayor of Rumson, New Jersey from 1950 to 1951. Personal life He was born on August 1, 1910. He was the great-grandson of Peter B ...

(1910–1988), who held political office ( Mayor of Rumson, New Jersey, 1950–51) and was a noted business executive (Textile Banking Company, Iselin-Jefferson Financial Company, H.A. Caesar & Company).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballantine, Peter 1791 births 1883 deaths American drink industry businesspeople American brewers Businesspeople from Dundee Businesspeople from Newark, New Jersey Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) Businesspeople from Albany, New York Scottish emigrants to the United States Scottish company founders American company founders Deaths from bronchitis 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century Scottish businesspeople