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{{Short description|Founder of Monsanto Company (1859–1933)}}
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'''John Francis Queeny''' (August 17, 1859 – March 19, 1933) born in Chicago, founded the [[Monsanto Company]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], as Monsanto Chemical Works, on November 30, 1901, with $5,000.
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Francis Queeny
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1859|08|17}}
| image = John Francis Queeny (1859–1933).png
| birth_place = [[Chicago, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1933|03|19|1859|08|17}}
| death_place = [[St. Louis, Missouri]], U.S.
⚫
| resting_place = [[Bellefontaine Cemetery]]
| occupation = Businessman
| known_for = Founder of [[Monsanto]]
| spouse = Olga Mendez Monsanto
| children = 2, including [[Edgar Monsanto Queeny|Edgar]]
| signature = Signature of John Francis Queeny (1859–1933).png
}}


⚫
'''John Francis Queeny''' (August 17, 1859 – March 19, 1933) was an American businessman, known for founding [[Monsanto|Monsanto Chemical Works]] (later [[Monsanto]]) in [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]], on September 26, 1901, with $5,000. He named the company for his wife, Olga Mendez Monsanto.
⚫
He attended school for 6 years until the [[Great Chicago Fire]] forced him, at the age of 12, to look for full-time employment, which he found with Tolman and King for $2.50 per week.<ref>[http://www.ja.org/nested/stlouis/John_Queeny.pdf] brief bio from Junior Achievement {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206123651/http://www.ja.org/nested/stlouis/John_Queeny.pdf |date=February 6, 2009 }}</ref>


== Early life ==
⚫
He moved to St. Louis in 1897 to work for [[Meyer Brothers Drug Company]], one of the largest wholesale pharmaceutical companies at the time. Two years later, he spent his life savings in purchasing a sulfur refinery; it burned down the next day. Two years after that, he founded Monsanto Chemical Works, and began producing [[saccharine]], which he sold to Meyer Brothers. He started to turn a profit in 1905, but it wasn't until 1906 that he left Meyer Brothers to work for Monsanto full-time.<ref>Shepley, Carol Ferring. <u>Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery.</u> Missouri History Museum: St. Louis, 2008.</ref>
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Born in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], he attended school for six years until the [[Great Chicago Fire]] forced him to seek full-time employment at age 12. He was raised in a poor second-generation Irish-American immigrant family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/seeds-of-science-why-we-got-it-so-wrong-on-gmos/ch4-a-true-history-of-monsanto |title=Seeds of Science |publisher=Bloomsbury |accessdate=2023-07-13}}</ref> Queeny got a job with Tolman and King for $2.50 per week.<ref>[http://www.ja.org/nested/stlouis/John_Queeny.pdf] brief bio from Junior Achievement {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206123651/http://www.ja.org/nested/stlouis/John_Queeny.pdf|date=February 6, 2009}}</ref>


== Career ==
He married Olga Mendez Monsanto with whom he had two children, one of whom was [[Edgar Monsanto Queeny]], who would later serve as Chairman of his company. Olga Monsanto was the daughter of Morris Monsanto, a civil engineer in New York.<ref>{{cite census
⚫
He moved to St. Louis in 1897 to work for [[Meyer Brothers Drug Company]], one of the largest wholesale pharmaceutical companies at the time. Two years later, he spent his life savings in purchasing a sulfur refinery; it burned down the next day. Two years after that, he founded Monsanto Chemical Works, and began producing [[saccharin]]e, which he sold to Meyer Brothers. He started to turn a profit in 1905, but it was not until 1906 that he left Meyer Brothers to work for Monsanto full-time.<ref>Shepley, Carol Ferring. "Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery". Missouri History Museum: St. Louis, 2008.</ref>
| url = https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/X44C-62N
| title = Moreis Monsanto
| year = 1880
| location = New York City, NY
| roll = 895
| page = 392A
| line = 34
| enumdist = 581
}}</ref>
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Queeny is buried at [[Bellefontaine Cemetery]] in St. Louis.


In 1928, Queeny retired from Monsanto and was succeeded by his son, [[Edgar Monsanto Queeny|Edgar]]. The company grew to become one of the largest producers of engineered crops in the United States by the 1970s. In 2018, Monsanto was acquired by [[Bayer]] for US$66 billion.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bunge|first=Christopher Alessi and Jacob|date=2016-05-23|title=Bayer Makes $62 Billion Bid for Monsanto|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bayers-all-cash-offer-values-monsanto-at-62-billion-1463981986|access-date=2020-05-09|issn=0099-9660}}</ref>
He had 30 years experience in the pharmaceutical industry.

== Personal life ==
He married Olga Mendez [[Monsanto family|Monsanto]] with whom he had two children, including [[Edgar Monsanto Queeny]]. Queeny died in 1968 in [[St. Louis]] and was buried at the [[Bellefontaine Cemetery]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=JOHN FRANCIS QUEENY.; ! Official of Monsanto Chemical Works, St. Louis, Was 84.|url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1933/03/20/99299301.html?pageNumber=14|website=timesmachine.nytimes.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-09}}</ref>
His name does not appear on the Cemetery's list of Notable Burials
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellefontaine_Cemetery


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
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{{Monsanto}}
{{Monsanto}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Queeny, John Francis}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queeny, John Francis}}
[[Category:American manufacturing businesspeople]]
[[Category:American manufacturing businesspeople]]
[[Category:Monsanto]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Monsanto family]]
[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:1933 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Chicago]]
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[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]




{{US-business-bio-1850s-stub}}
{{US-business-bio-1850s-stub}}
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[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]

Latest revision as of 20:37, 25 November 2024

John Francis Queeny
Born(1859-08-17)August 17, 1859
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedMarch 19, 1933(1933-03-19) (aged 73)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Resting placeBellefontaine Cemetery
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Monsanto
SpouseOlga Mendez Monsanto
Children2, including Edgar
Signature

John Francis Queeny (August 17, 1859 – March 19, 1933) was an American businessman, known for founding Monsanto Chemical Works (later Monsanto) in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 26, 1901, with $5,000. He named the company for his wife, Olga Mendez Monsanto.

Early life

[edit]

Born in Chicago, Illinois, he attended school for six years until the Great Chicago Fire forced him to seek full-time employment at age 12. He was raised in a poor second-generation Irish-American immigrant family.[1] Queeny got a job with Tolman and King for $2.50 per week.[2]

Career

[edit]

He moved to St. Louis in 1897 to work for Meyer Brothers Drug Company, one of the largest wholesale pharmaceutical companies at the time. Two years later, he spent his life savings in purchasing a sulfur refinery; it burned down the next day. Two years after that, he founded Monsanto Chemical Works, and began producing saccharine, which he sold to Meyer Brothers. He started to turn a profit in 1905, but it was not until 1906 that he left Meyer Brothers to work for Monsanto full-time.[3]

In 1928, Queeny retired from Monsanto and was succeeded by his son, Edgar. The company grew to become one of the largest producers of engineered crops in the United States by the 1970s. In 2018, Monsanto was acquired by Bayer for US$66 billion.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

He married Olga Mendez Monsanto with whom he had two children, including Edgar Monsanto Queeny. Queeny died in 1968 in St. Louis and was buried at the Bellefontaine Cemetery.[5] His name does not appear on the Cemetery's list of Notable Burials https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellefontaine_Cemetery

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Seeds of Science". Bloomsbury. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  2. ^ [1] brief bio from Junior Achievement Archived February 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Shepley, Carol Ferring. "Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery". Missouri History Museum: St. Louis, 2008.
  4. ^ Bunge, Christopher Alessi and Jacob (May 23, 2016). "Bayer Makes $62 Billion Bid for Monsanto". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "JOHN FRANCIS QUEENY.; ! Official of Monsanto Chemical Works, St. Louis, Was 84". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
[edit]


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