Editing Gustavus Franklin Swift (section)

==Biography==

Swift was born on June 24, 1839, in [[Sagamore, Massachusetts]], the 9th of 12 offspring of William Swift and Sally Crowell. His parents were descendants of [[United Kingdom|British]] settlers who went to [[New England]] in the 17th century. The family (which included Gustavus’ brothers Noble and Edwin) lived and worked on a farm in the [[Cape Cod]] town of West [[Sandwich, Massachusetts]],  where they raised and slaughtered [[cattle]], [[sheep]], and [[Hog (swine)|hogs]]. This is where he got the idea of packing meat.

As a young boy, Swift took little interest in his studies and left the nearby country school after eight years. During that period he was employed in several jobs, finally finding full-time work in his elder brother Noble's [[butcher]] shop at the age of fourteen. Two years later, in 1855, he opened his own cattle and [[pork]] butchering business with the help of one of his uncles who gave him $400. Swift purchased [[livestock]] at the market in [[Brighton,_Boston|Brighton]] and drove them to [[Eastham, Massachusetts|Eastham]], a ten-day journey. A shrewd businessman, he purportedly followed the somewhat common practice of denying his herds water during the last miles of the trip so that they would drink large quantities of liquid once they reached their final destination, effectively boosting their weights. Swift married Annie Maria Higgins of [[North Eastham]] in 1861. Annie gave birth to eleven children, nine of whom reached adulthood. In 1862, Swift and his new bride opened a small butcher shop and [[slaughterhouse]]. Seven years later Gustavus and Annie moved the family to the Brighton neighborhood of [[Boston]], where in 1872 Swift became partner in a new venture, ''Hathaway and Swift''. Swift and partner James A. Hathaway (a renowned Boston meat dealer) initially relocated the company to [[Albany, New York|Albany]], then almost immediately thereafter to [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]].

[[File:Grave of Gustavus Franklin Swift (1839–1903) at Mount Hope Cemetery, Chicago 1.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Swift mausoleum at Mount Hope Cemetery]]

An astute cattle-buyer, Swift followed the market steadily westward. On his recommendation, Hathaway and Swift moved once more in 1875, this time to join the influx of meat packers setting up shop in [[Chicago]]'s sprawling [[Union Stock Yards]]. Swift established himself as one of the dominant figures of "The Yards", and his distinctive delivery wagons became familiar fixtures on Chicago's streets. In 1878 his partnership with Hathaway  and ''Swift Bros and Company'' was formed in partnership with younger brother Edwin. The company became a driving force in the Chicago [[meat packing industry]], and was incorporated in 1885 as ''[[Swift & Company|Swift & Co.]]'' with $300,000 in capital stock and Gustavus Swift as president. It is from this position that Swift led the way in revolutionizing how meat was processed, delivered, and sold.

He died on March 29, 1903, at his home 4848 Ellis Avenue in Chicago.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Gustavus F. Swift Dead. Head of Big Packing Company Dies from Internal Hemorrhages. Fortune Estimated at from $7,000,000 to $10,000,000  |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/102808225/gustavus-f-swift-dead/ |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |location=Chicago |page=1 |date=March 30, 1903 |access-date=2022-05-29 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>