Edgar Monsanto Queeny (September 29, 1897 – July 7, 1968) was an American businessman who served as chairman of the

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in th ...

corporation from 1928 until his retirement in 1960.

Early life

Edgar Monsanto Queeny was one of two children born to

John Francis Queeny John Francis Queeny (August 17, 1859 – March 19, 1933) was an American businessman, known for founding Monsanto Chemical Works (later Monsanto) in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 26, 1901, with $5,000. He named the company for his wife, Olg ...

, the founder of

, and his wife, Olga Méndez Monsanto, a scioness of the Sephardi Jewish Monsanto family. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he served as a seaman in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Career

After his father retired from the company, Edgar took over the leadership of Monsanto in 1928. At this time, it had just been listed on the stock exchange as a public company. He led the company through the 1929 stock market crisis and its expansion into a major U.S. industrial company with a global presence before he retired in 1960. In 1958, Monsanto's assets had grown from $12 million to $857 million. Queeny was also a noted conservationist. He published the book ''Prairie Wings,'' called a "classic study of American wildfowl in flight," and participated in the production of several nature documentaries, including some from Africa produced in cooperation with Kenyan guide

Donald Ker Donald Ker was a famous Kenyan white hunter, safari guide and conservationist of British descent. As a young man he teamed up with Sydney Downey to create Ker and Downey Safaris Ltd., one of the first guide companies to transition from hunting ...

. Queeny was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

and

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

. In 1960, Queeny was succeeded as chair of Monsanto by company chemist

Charles Allen Thomas Charles Allen Thomas (February 15, 1900 – March 29, 1982) was a noted American chemist and businessman, and an important figure in the Manhattan Project. He held over 100 patents. A graduate of Transylvania College and Massachusetts Institute ...

, one of the founders of the company's research and development laboratory.

Personal life

Queeny died in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in 1968. Like his father, he is buried at

Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the ...

Legacy

Edgar M. Queeny Park in

Town and Country, Missouri Town and Country is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri#West County, west St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, Missouri, United States with a population of 11,640 as of the 2020 census. It is home to Missouri Baptist Medical Center, (loc ...

is named after him. In 2011, Queeny's farm and family estate, Wingmead, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

External links

* 1897 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American Sephardic Jews Missouri Republicans Monsanto {{US-business-bio-1890s-stub