Canner of Milk
Klbriiljfo Sfuarl lia«l an idea.
Wore Ilian flint, he liad llie cour¬
age lo carry if out. and he suc¬
ceeded in developing one of the
big business enterprises off llie
country.
Bi
/
llllll DAVIS PALM lilt
OX
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I»f North Carolina's most
successful sous is Klhridgc
Amo- Stuart, founder and
many years president, of Carnation
Milk Company. From 1S99 to H»:t|
he guided the amazing growth of his
brainchild from a debt of $4.000 bor¬
rowed capital, and hi- plant housed
ill a tent, to assets of $2*,000,000 and
many fine buildings in several states
and foreign countries.
The story of how this Tar Heel of
Quaker parents won fame and fortune
because lie had a good idea which he
put to work in the milk industry,
reads like an Alladin I -amp tale.
Deep River community, three miles
from historic Jamestown. Guilford
County, claims Klhridgc Amos Stuart,
as its own. lie was Imru there Sep¬
tember 10. 1*5(1. The parents of young
Klhridgc Were people of iiiHueuce and
leadership in the community and gave
their children the heat available edu¬
cation. One brother is a practicing
physician in Lawrence. Kansas. An¬
other.
11аг|мч-
Stuart, who died while
a young man. was a teacher in New
Garden (Guilford) School and is bur¬
ied at Deep River Cemetery.
Family Moved to Indiana
The Stuart home, a large comfort¬
able brick structure with well-kept
grounds, wus located on a big farm
near Jamestown. When war clouds
darkened the sky in 1*61 Amos Stuart
moved his wife and twelve children
from this home to Henry County.
I ndiuna.
Klhridgc Stuart was raised on a
farm, attended school at Spicelnnd
Academy and at seventeen he lu-gan
the study of «medicine but soon de¬
cided that this was not to be his call¬
ing.
This self-reliant Quaker lad was
not too proud to turn his hand to any
honest work. In turn lie became a clerk
in a dry goods store, mule driver in
New Mexico, and l>ookkco|icr and com¬
missary for a railroad constructor.
His first business venture was a gen¬
eral merchandise store e.tnhlished in
К
I Paso. Texas, in 1SS1. He borrowed
$4,000 and housed his merchandise in
a tent. In twelve years time he had
cleared his debt and was making big
money annually in his wholesale and
retail store. In 1893 lie sold out and
moved to l.os Angeles where he again
went into the same business.
It was while Mr. Stuart was living
in Texas that he conceived the idea
of canned milk which might be had
anyti . . anywhere. He was a rather
frail boy and needed plenty of milk
but at that time he could not pro¬
cure it.
In the Milk Business
IL- sold his grocery business in
1899 and joined with Thomas K.
Yerxa in establishing the Pacific
(oast Condensed Milk Company,
with the condciisery at Kent, Wash¬
ington. Two years later he Itoughl
out hi- partner, and changed the name
to Carnation Milk Products Com¬
pany ( 1916). It was changed to
Carnation Company in 1929. From
the beginning the product has sold
under the brand name “Carnation."
with the slogan. "Milk from Con¬
tented Cows." lb- remained presi¬
dent of the company until 1982. an
office now filled by his son. Hadley
Stuart. He is chairman of the board
of directors.
The initial daily output <>f Carna¬
tion is equivalent to 2.640 quarts of
bottled milk. Its annual output i-
equivalent to 319.000.000 quarts of
milk. As the market develo|>ed, the
original plant at Kent was enlarged
and additional plants were established
until by 1933 the company owned
forty evaporated milk plants, two
condensed milk plants and two fac¬
tories in America, and two evaporat¬
ing plants in Canada. The company
now has controlling interest in four
evaporating plants and throe factories
in Ktiro|N\ operated by the General
Milk Company, with headquarters in
New York City.
Other Interests
Mr. Stuart also established the
Carnation Milk Farms in Washing¬
ton, 1910. as a breeding institution
for pure bred Holstein', lie has de¬
veloped twenty-six rows which have
established a record of giving over
30,000 pounds of milk in a year’s test,
including the world's two highest
record cows. Sargis Pieterje Prospect,
and her granddaughter. Carnation
Prospect Yccinnn. In 1929 Mr.
Stuart sold the farm to Carnation
Milk Farms, whose herd number- 650
registered HolstcillS.
The Carnation stable, at Pomona.
California, noted for it- saddle and
hackney show horses and ponies, wa¬
ll |
ю1
project of Mr. Stuart's but be
writes sadly:
"I have disposed of my stable of
-bow horses at Pomona. California,
due to the fact that sonic two years
ago I lost the rest of mv vision and
was unable to enjoy seeing the hor-e>
perform."
Other high positions held bv Mr.
Stuart were: president of the Pacific
International Livestock Kxpoitiliou.
Portland. Oregon; director and vice
president of the Pacific Steam-hip
Company, which lie has since re-
signed. founder and four year- presi¬
dent of tin* Seattle International
Horse Show Association ; formerly
director of Initli the First National
and Metropolitan banks of Seattle.
lie was married to Mary, daughter
of Kri and Retsv (Morgan) Horner.
November 13. I'M. at Rutland. Ver¬
mont. They had two children. Kl-
bridge Hadley Stuart and Katherine
Moore, wife of llarrv Glenn Stibbs.
•Mr-. Stibbs died in 1936 and Mrs.
Stuart in 1939.
7