John Dwight (manufacturer)
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John Dwight (August 1, 1819 – November 25, 1903) was an American manufacturer and businessman. He was a pioneer manufacturer of
bicarbonate of soda Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3−) ...
in the United States. The product had a variety of uses and sold nationwide in quantities resulting in a multi-million dollar industry. He was known in the merchandising industry for selling cleaning and baking products to grocery stores and supply vendors under the Cow Brand trademark. Dwight was a
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
and involved with agricultural interests, schools, colleges, and church organizations. He helped develop public projects and built museums and libraries across the United States. He was a director and trustee in trade and transportation enterprises.


Early life and education

Dwight was born in
South Hadley, Massachusetts South Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke Colleg ...
on August 1, 1819. His father was a medical doctor in the state of Connecticut. His mother was Lydia (White) Dwight, daughter of Captain William White, an officer in the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...
. Dwight's grandfather was Nathaniel Dwight of Belchertown, Massachusetts. Nathaniel, a captain in the French and Indian war, and his wife, Hannah Lyman were the parents of Elihu Dwight (Dwight's father). His great-grandfather was one of the founders of
Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...
– an Englishman by the name of John Dwight who had immigrated to America before 1635. Dwight attended high school at Hopkins Academy in
Hadley, Massachusetts Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Ma ...
. He was in the same class as Bishop Frederic Dan Huntington. Just before graduating from the school he received an appointment to West Point. He declined it and decided to enter into the business world instead.


Mid life and career

Dwight moved to New York City in 1846 with his brother-in-law
Austin Church Austin Church (January 8, 1799 – August 7, 1879) was an American medical doctor and a pioneer of bicarbonate of soda manufacturing. He was a co-founder of the company that first developed the product in America from chemical compound salts. H ...
. In 1847 the two entered into a partnership for the manufacture of
bicarbonate of soda Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3−) ...
under the firm name of John Dwight & Company. Church was the first in the United States to devise a method of manufacturing sodium bicarbonate as an item that could be sold. Prior to this, the baking and medical product could only be bought from England as an expensive product. Dwight and Church sold the powder product in red paper bags under the Cow Brand trademark. The firm had traveling sales agents that promoted the product. Dwight and Church packaged the product this way for hygiene and personally filled the bags. The paper bags were intentionally made in that packaging style and colorful bags to promote sales. Their competitors sold dry goods in open unhygienic kegs. Church adopted the Arm & Hammer trademark from the Vulcan Spice Mills company that was owned by one of his sons and used it to sell baking soda (one of the uses for bicarbonate of soda). It was the same product that Cow Brand was selling as a common baked goods ingredient, especially for use in making breads and biscuits involving milk or buttermilk. Dwight continued marketing and selling the original baking product under his Cow Brand trademark and in a similar packaging style as Arm & Hammer baking soda. Arm & Hammer baking soda dominated the market in the United States from 1873, while Cow Brand was preferred in only a few places. Both sold their product nationally by the ton for other uses, including as a cleaning ingredient, health product agent, toothpaste component, and animal feed supplement. The two firms united in 1896 into Church & Dwight Company corporation.


Organizations

Dwight was interested in several other enterprises and was a director of the New York board of trade and transportation for many years. He was also a trustee of the American Seamen's Friend Society for 30 years. Dwight was involved with the Hampton Institute of
Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
, and founded the Dwight School in Erwin, Tennessee, for the education of poor children. He was a benefactor of the
Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association afte ...
and gave the Art Memorial Building to
Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...
in 1900. The Art Memorial Building was on the location where Dwight was born, since it was at the time the family homestead. He was active in church organizations and gave money to public organizations including libraries and museums. He donated to the town of Hadley money for construction of the Goodwin Memorial library.


Family

Dwight was married two times. His first marriage was January 13, 1841, to Nancy Shaw, daughter of Captain Metcalf Everett of
Foxborough, Massachusetts Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, about southwest of Boston, northeast of Providence, Rhode Island and about northwest of Cape Cod. Foxborough is part of the Greater Boston area. The population was 18,618 at ...
. They had two sons (Melatiah, John) and three daughters (Anna, Marion, Clara). Dwight's first wife died in 1892 and he then remarried in 1894 to Clara (Leigh) Freeborn of St. Louis, Missouri. She died in 1900.


Later life and death

Beginning in 1868, Dwight lived in Harlem and spent each summer at a property he owned on the summit of Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts. He returned from his summer resort to New York City in the fall of 1903 to attend to his business. In the first week of November he became ill from a
stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
of
paralysis Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...
that left him incapacitated. He died at his home on Mount Morris Park West on November 25. He was 84 years old. At the time of his death two daughters and two sons were still living. Dwight's will revealed that his estate was worth $1,000,000 that was specified to be divided proportionally between his children and grandchildren.


References


Sources

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External links


Arm & Hammer Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dwight, John 1819 births 1903 deaths People from South Hadley, Massachusetts Businesspeople from Massachusetts 19th-century American businesspeople