Michael Cudahy (December 7, 1841 – November 27, 1910) was an American industrialist who, along with two brothers, established the

Cudahy Packing Company Cudahy Packing Company was an American meat packing company established in 1887 as the Armour-Cudahy Packing Company and incorporated in Maine in 1915.

in 1890.

Early life

Cudahy was born in

Callan, County Kilkenny Callan () is a town and civil parish in County Kilkenny in Ireland. Situated 16 km (10 mi) south of Kilkenny on the N76 road to Clonmel, it is near the border with County Tipperary. It is the second largest town in the county, and had ...

in 1841 to Patrick and Elizabeth (née Shaw) Cudahy. The family emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

in 1849, and eventually settled in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

Career

Cudahy dropped out of school at age 14 and found a job working at Layton and Plankinton, Milwaukee, an area

meat packing The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally ...

plant. He worked his way up the ranks and eventually became a private meat inspector. By 1869, Cudahy was a manager in charge of the packing house at Plankinton, Armour and Company, which had been established in Milwaukee in 1852. In 1873, he was made partner in

Armour and Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's mo ...

. With the help of his brothers Edward and Patrick, he established the Cudahy Packing Company in

South Omaha, Nebraska South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth, due to the rapid development of the Union S ...

in 1890.

Real estate

By the late 19th century, Cudahy had become a wealthy man living a comfortable life. He took an interest in

Mackinac Island, Michigan Mackinac Island ( ) is a city in Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a permanent population of 583. The population numbers in the tens of thousands from May 1st to October 31st due to an influx o ...

as a summer home. He also owned a home in Hubbard's Annex on the island in the late 19th century, which he later sold to his brother Edward. He then went to California in 1897 and traded in real estate to expand his fortune. He returned to Mackinac Island in 1904 and bought , making him one of the largest landowners on Mackinac Island. In 1908, Cudahy sold his share of the Cudahy Meatpacking Company and acquired a 2,800 acre (11 km²) Rancho San Antonio east of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He subdivided the ranch and sold it as one acre (4,000 m²) lots. This area was incorporated in 1960 as the City of Cudahy. Cudahy handpicked renowned architect Frederick Wainwright Perkins to fulfill his visions of a West Bluff mansion. Perkins also designed the Governors Mansion on the island. In 1904, construction was completed on his mansion which he named Stonecliffe which was the largest private home on Mackinac Island. It went through a number of owners after Cudahy's death in 1910. In 1970, Stonecliffe was purchased by an entrepreneur named George Staffan who converted the mansion and associated buildings into a first class resort hotel called The Inn at Stonecliffe in which capacity it continues to function to this day.

Personal life

Grave of Michael Cudahy (1841–1910) at Calvary Cemetery, Evanston

In 1866, Cudahy married Catharine Sullivan. The couple had seven children, four boys and three girls.

Death

On November 27, 1910, Cudahy died of

double pneumonia Pneumonia can be classified in several ways, most commonly by where it was acquired (hospital versus community), but may also by the area of lung affected or by the causative organism. There is also a combined clinical classification, which combi ...

at a

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

hospital. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cudahy, Michael 1841 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Irish people 19th-century American businesspeople American industrialists Cudahy family Deaths from pneumonia in Illinois People from County Kilkenny People from Los Angeles County, California Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Catholics from California Catholics from Nebraska