John Dwight (manufacturer)


John Dwight (August 1, 1819 – November 25, 1903) was an American manufacturer and businessman. He was a pioneer manufacturer of bicarbonate of soda in the United States. The product had a variety of uses and sold nationwide in quantities resulting in a multi-million dollar industry. He was known in the merchandising industry for selling cleaning and baking products to grocery stores and supply vendors under the Cow Brand trademark.

John Dwight
circa 1900
Born(1819-08-01)August 1, 1819
South Hadley, Massachusetts
DiedNovember 25, 1903(1903-11-25) (aged 84)
New York City
NationalityAmerican
Occupationmanufacturer
Known forbicarbonate of soda

Dwight was a philanthropist and involved with agricultural interests, schools, colleges, and church organizations. He helped develop public projects and built museums and libraries across the United States. He was a director and trustee in trade and transportation enterprises.

Early life and education

Dwight was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts on August 1, 1819. His father was a medical doctor in the state of Connecticut. His mother was Lydia (White) Dwight, daughter of Captain William White of Springfield, Massachusetts.[1] Dwight's grandfather was Nathaniel Dwight of Belchertown, Massachusetts. Nathaniel, a captain in the French and Indian war, and his wife, Hannah Lyman were the parents of Elihu Dwight (Dwight's father). Nathaniel's father, Dwight's great grandfather, was Captain Timothy Dwight. Timothy's father was one of the founders of Dedham, Massachusetts – an Englishman by the name of John Dwight who had immigrated to America before 1635.[2]

Dwight attended high school at Hopkins Academy in Hadley, Massachusetts. He was in the same class with Bishop Frederic Dan Huntington. Just before graduating from the school he received an appointment to West Point. He declined it and decided to enter into the business world instead.[1]

Mid life and career
John Dwight "bicarbonate of soda": trade card advertising of 1870–1900

Dwight moved to New York City in 1846 with his brother-in-law Austin Church. In 1847 he went into partnership with him for the manufacture of bicarbonate of soda under the firm name of John Dwight & Company. Church was the one that concocted the formula to be the first in the United States to devise a method of manufacturing the product as a company item to sell.[3][4] Prior to this, the baking and medical product could only be bought from England as an expensive imported product.[3]

Dwight and Church sold the powder product in red paper bags first under the Cow Brand trademark. The firm had traveling sales agents that promoted the product.[5] They packaged the product this way for hygiene and personally filled the bags themselves. The paper bags were intentionally made in that packaging style and colorful bags to promote sales.[6] Their competitors continued to sell dry goods in open unhygienic kegs.[7]

Church adopted the Arm & Hammer trademark from the Vulcan Spice Mills company that was owned by one of his sons and used it to sell baking soda (one of the uses for bicarbonate of soda).[8][9] It was the same product as Cow Brand was selling as a common bake goods ingredient, especially in that of making breads and biscuits involving milk or buttermilk.[10][11] Dwight continued marketing and selling the original baking product under his Cow Brand trademark and in a similar packaging style as Arm & Hammer baking soda.[12] Arm & Hammer baking soda dominated the market in the United States, while Cow brand was preferred in only a few places.[7] Both sold their product nationally by the ton for other uses as well like as a cleaning ingredient, health product agent, toothpaste component, and animal feed supplement.[11] The two firms united in 1896 into Church & Dwight Company corporation.[1]

Organizations

Dwight was interested in several other enterprises and was for many years a director of the New York board of trade and transportation. Dwight was a trustee of the American Seamen's Friend Society for 30 year. He was involved with the Hampton Institute of Hampton, Virginia, and founder of the Dwight School at Erwin, Tennessee, for the education of poor children. Dwight was a benefactor of the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute. He gave the Art Memorial Building to Mount Holyoke College in 1900. The spot is where Dwight was born, since it was at the time the family homestead. He was active in church organizations and gave money to public organizations like libraries and museums. He donated to the town of Hadley the money needed for the Goodwin Memorial library.[2]

Family

Dwight was married two times. His first marriage was January 13, 1841, to Nancy Shaw, daughter of Captain Metcalf Everett of Foxborough, Massachusetts. They had two sons and three daughters. Dwight's first wife died in 1892 and he then remarried in 1894 to Mrs. Clara (Leigh) Freeborn of St. Louis, Missouri. She died in 1900.[2]

One of his sons became the Reverend Melatiah Everett Dwight. The other son, John E. Dwight, became second vice-president of Church & Dwight Company. One of his daughters became Mrs. Anna F. Leggett, wife of the Reverend Theodore A. Leggett of New-Brighton, Staten Island. Another daughter became Mrs. Marion D. Walker, wife of William I. Walker, treasurer of Church & Dwight Company. Another daughter became Mrs. Clara Ketchum, the wife of Colonel Alexander Phoenix Ketchum of New York City.[1]

Later life and death

Dwight had lived in Harlem since 1868 and spent each summer at a property he owned on the summit of Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts. He returned from his summer resort to New York City in the Fall of 1903 to attend to his business.[1] In the first week of November he became ill from a stroke of paralysis that left him incapacitated. He died at his home on Mount Morris Park West on November 25. He was 84 years old. At the time of his death two daughters and two sons were still living.[13] Dwight's Will reveals his estate was worth $1,000,000 that was specified to be divided down proportionally to his children and grandchildren.[14]

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References
  1. "Obituary / John Dwight". New York Tribune. New York City. November 26, 1903. p. 9 – via newspapers.com .
  2. White 1935, p. 310.
  3. "Baking Soda / The household 'geni' in a box". Logansport Pharos-Tribune. Logansport, Indiana. September 28, 1984. p. 6 – via newspapers.com . Bicarbonate of sada has been made in America since 1839. Prior to that it was imported and expensive. Rochester, N.Y., is where made-in-America baking soda first was concocted by Austin Church. He teamed up about seven years later with his brother-in-law, John Dwight, in New York City in what became a multi-million dollar company.
  4. "Left $1,000,000 All Made in Soda". The Evening World. New York, New York. December 2, 1903. p. 2 – via newspapers.com . Will of John Dwight, First Manufacturer of Bicarbonate in this Country, Gives Children Equal Shares
  5. Allen, Ida Bailey (October 14, 1961). "Ordinary Baking Soda Kitchen Fire-Fighter". Tyrone Daily Herald. Tyrone, Pennsylvania. p. 5 – via newspapers.com .
  6. Williams 2017, p. 66.
  7. Jorgensen 1994, p. 16.
  8. "What is the origin of the Arm & Hammer trademark". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton, Illinois. January 6, 1947. p. 4 – via newspapers.com . Q. What is the origin of the Arm & Hammer trade-mark used on boxes of baking soda? A.The firm of Church and Sons was established by Austin Church and two sons to produce soda in about 1846. One of the sons had owned the Vulcan Spice Mills which had the arm and hammer trade-mark. This was adopted by the new firm.
  9. Grant 2005, p. 78.
  10. Sass, Bill (October 7, 1993). "Everything you've always wanted to know about baking soda, but never bothered to ask". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. p. 26 – via newspapers.com .
  11. Sass, Bill (July 25, 1995). "Baking Soda". Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. p. 44 – via newspapers.com .
  12. Williams 2017, p. 67.
  13. "Death of John Dwight / Pioneer Manufacturer of Bicarbonate of Soda in this Country". The New York Times. New York City. November 26, 1903. p. 7 – via newspapers.com .
  14. "Left $1,000,000 all made in soda". The Evening World. New York City. December 2, 1903. p. 2 – via newspapers.com .

Sources
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