Editing Gustavus Franklin Swift (section)

{{Short description|American entrepreneur in the meat industry (1839–1903)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Gustavus Franklin Swift, Sr.
| image              = Gustavus Swift enlarged.jpg
| image_size         = 
| caption            = Swift in 1903
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1839|6|24|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Sagamore, Massachusetts]]
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1903|3|29|1839|6|24|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[Chicago, Illinois]]
| body_discovered    = 
| death_cause        = 
| resting_place      = [[Chicago, Illinois]]<br />Mount Hope Cemetery
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|41.681099|-87.690804|display=inline,title}}
| nationality        = 
| citizenship        = 
| other_names        = 
| known_for          = 
| education          = High School
| alma_mater         = 
| employer           = 
| occupation         = 
| years_active       = 
| title              = 
| term               = 
| predecessor        = 
| successor          = 
| party              = 
| opponents          = 
| boards             = 
| spouse             = Annie Maria Higgins
| partner            = 
| children           = 11, including [[Louis Swift|Louis Franklin]] and [[Helen Swift Neilson|Helen Louise]]
| parents            = William Swift<br />Sally Crowell
| relations          = 
| callsign           = 
| signature          = Signature of Gustavus Franklin Swift, Sr.png
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Gustavus Franklin Swift, Sr.''' (June 24, 1839 &ndash; March 29, 1903) was an American business executive. He founded a [[Meat packing industry|meat-packing]] empire in the [[Midwest]] during the late 19th century, over which he presided until his death. He is credited with the development of the first practical ice-cooled [[railroad car]], which allowed his company to ship dressed meats to all parts of the country and abroad, ushering in the "era of cheap beef." Swift pioneered the use of [[animal]] by-products for the manufacture of soap, glue, [[fertilizer]], various types of sundries, and even medical products.<ref name=obit/>

Swift donated large sums of money to such institutions as the [[University of Chicago]], the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]], and [[YMCA]]. He established [[Northwestern University]]'s "School of Oratory" in memory of his daughter, Annie May Swift, who died while a student there. When he died in 1903, his company was valued at between [[US$]]125 million and $135 million, and had a workforce of more than 21,000. "The House of Swift" slaughtered as many as two million cattle, four million hogs, and two million sheep a year. Three years after his death, the value of the company's capital stock topped $250 million. He and his family are interred in a [[mausoleum]] in Mount Hope Cemetery in [[Chicago]].<ref name=obit/>