John James McLaughlin (March 2, 1865 – January 28, 1914) was a Canadian pharmacist and manufacturer who was the founder of

Canada Dry Canada Dry is a brand of soft drinks founded in 1904 and owned since 2008 by the American company Dr Pepper Snapple (now Keurig Dr Pepper). For over 100 years, Canada Dry has been known mainly for its ginger ale, though the company also manufa ...

Early life

John J. McLaughlin was born near

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, Durham Region,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, the eldest son of Mary Smith and Robert McLaughlin, the founder of McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car which became

General Motors of Canada General Motors of Canada Company (french: La Compagnie General Motors du Canada), commonly known as GM Canada, is the Canadian subsidiary of US-based company General Motors. It is headquartered in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. In the aftermath of ...

. Known as "Jack", he completed high school in Oshawa, Ontario, where he then became a pharmacist apprentice, before attending the

Ontario College of Pharmacy Established in 1868, the ''Canadian Pharmacists Journal'' (''CPJ'') is the oldest continuously published periodical in Canada. This peer-reviewed journal is published 6 times per year, and features original research, clinical reviews, commentarie ...

in Toronto, and graduating in 1885. He did postgraduate study in pharmacy in New York City, worked as a pharmacy dispenser, and later managed one of the largest pharmacies in Brooklyn. Because of the long-held belief in the health benefits of natural mineral waters, by the late 1880s a carbonated beverage industry had developed. With the addition of flavourings, they were increasingly consumed for pleasure, and often this was at drugstores.

Canada Dry

After embarking on a tour of European carbonated water producers, McLaughlin returned to Toronto in 1890, where he founded a

soda water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

bottling plant. In 1904, he launched Canada Dry "pale dry" Ginger Ale and in 1907, received a patent for "Canada Dry Ginger Ale."

Personal life

McLaughlin married Maude Christie on October 23, 1890, in New York City. They had three sons and a daughter. He died at home of a heart attack January 28, 1914, and is buried at St James' Cemetery, Toronto.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaughlin, John J. 1865 births 1914 deaths People from Clarington Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian pharmacists Businesspeople from Ontario Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto