People
Name: Queeny, John F.
Profession: Business Person
Born/Started: Aug. 17, 1859
Died/Ended: Mar. 19, 1933
Description: John F. Queeny started work at age 12 for a wholesale drug company, Tolman and King. In 1891, he moved to St. Louis to work for Meyer Brothers Drug Company. His first business, a sulfur refinery in East St.Louis, was destroyed by fire on its first day of operation in 1899. In 1901, John then established his own chemical company to produce the sweetener, saccharin, which was only available in Germany at that time. He named the company Monsanto after his wife´s maiden name, Olga Monsanto Queeny. Business expanded rapidly and Monsanto began producing vanilla and aspirin as well. By 1927, the company had over 2,000 employees, with offices across the country and in England.
Queeny was a member of the Missouri Historical Society and was a director of the Lafayette-South Side Bank and Trust Company. He was also known for his many philanthropic endeavors. [Final Resting Place, p. 83, The St. Louis Portrait, p. 221]
People
Queeny, Edgar Monsanto
Monsanto Company
Reference
Final Resting Place-The Lives and Deaths of Famous St. Louisians
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