John Stuart (1877–1969) was the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the

Quaker Oats Company The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001. History Precursor miller companies In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...

from 1922 to 1953.

Biography

John Stuart was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1877, the son of Robert Stuart and his wife Margaret Shearer. He was educated at the

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools (also known as Lab or Lab Schools and abbreviated as UCLS though the high school is nicknamed U-High) is a Private school, private, co-educational Day school, day Early childhood education, Pre-K and K� ...

. As a teenager, he would work in his father's mill in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

sweeping floors. After high school, he was educated at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, graduating in 1900. He won the first TransMississippi Amateur golf tournament at the Kansas City Country Club in 1901. In 1899, Stuart's father and his business partner

Henry Parsons Crowell Henry Parsons Crowell (1855–1944) was an American businessman, 1901 founder of the Quaker Oats Company and a philanthropist.Musser, Joe (1997). ''The Cereal Tycoon''. Moody Press. , p.3, 154. Career As the founder of the Quaker Oats Company, He ...

had used a

proxy fight A proxy fight, proxy contest or proxy battle (sometimes even called a proxy war) is an unfriendly contest for the control over an organization. The event usually occurs when a corporation's stockholders develop opposition to some aspect of the corp ...

to gain control of the American Cereal Company from

Ferdinand Schumacher Ferdinand Schumacher (1822–1908),
at www.quakersquare.com. Accessed 10 August 2006. also known as The Oatmeal King ...

. In 1901, they renamed the company the

, to take advantage of the brand previously built up by Crowell's Quaker Mill Company. In 1907, at age 30, Stuart was named a

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

of the Quaker Oats Company and soon became thoroughly acquainted with the business. Stuart took over as CEO of the Quaker Oats Company in 1922, at age 43. His brother R. Douglas Stuart then took over marketing responsibilities from Crowell a short time later. During Stuart's time as CEO, the company introduced new products, such as

Puffed Wheat Puffed grains are grains that have been expanded ("puffed") through processing. They have been made for centuries with the simplest methods like popping popcorn. Modern puffed grains are often created using high temperature, pressure, or extrusi ...

and

Puffed Rice Puffed rice and popped rice (or pop rice) are types of puffed grain made from rice commonly eaten in the traditional cuisines of Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia. It has also been produced commercially in the West since 1904 and is popul ...

. The company purchased

Aunt Jemima Pearl Milling Company (formerly known as Aunt Jemima from 1889 to 2021) is an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix for the brand was developed in 1888–188 ...

in 1925. The company diversified in 1942 with the purchase of

dog food Dog food is food specifically formulated and intended for consumption by dogs and other related canines. Dogs are considered to be omnivores with a carnivorous bias. They have the sharp, pointed teeth and shorter gastrointestinal tracts of ca ...

brand

Ken-L Ration Ken-L Ration was a brand of canned and dry dog food. Ken-L Ration was owned by Quaker Oats, but the brand was sold to H. J. Heinz Company, H. J. Heinz Co. in 1995. The brand's name was a play on the World War II-era K-ration, and featured a yello ...

, to be followed up by the acquisition of the Puss 'n Boots cat food brand in 1950. Stuart stepped down as CEO in 1953, handing the reins to his designated successor

Donold Lourie Donold B. Lourie (August 22, 1899 – January 15, 1990) was an American businessman, government official, and college football player. He served for many years as the president of the Quaker Oats Company, and held various other executive positions ...

. In addition to his work at the Quaker Oats Company, Stuart sat on the board of directors of

International Harvester The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

, the

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; french: Banque canadienne impériale de commerce) is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario. ...

, the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

, and

Northern Trust Northern Trust Corporation is a financial services company headquartered in Chicago that caters to corporations, institutional investors, and ultra high net worth individuals. Northern Trust is one of the largest banking institutions in the Un ...

. He was a

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

and of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Also, in 1947, at the request of

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

, Stuart was a member of the

Hoover Commission The Hoover Commission, officially named the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government, was a body appointed by President Harry S. Truman in 1947 to recommend administrative changes in the Federal Government of the Unite ...

. Stuart was married to the former Ellen Shumway. Together the couple had two daughters and a son, John Stuart, Jr. Stuart died at

Lake Forest Hospital Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital (NLFH) is a community-based hospital in Lake Forest, Illinois and a wholly owned subsidiary of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, one of the nation's premiere academic medical centers. The hospital was establish ...

on December 26, 1969.

References

Company History from the Quaker Oats website
* "John Stuart, Quaker Oats Director, Dies", ''Chicago Tribune'', Dec. 27, 1969 {{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, John 1877 births 1969 deaths American chief executives of food industry companies Businesspeople from Chicago Princeton University alumni Quaker Oats Company University of Chicago Laboratory Schools alumni