Josiah K. Lilly Sr.
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Josiah Kirby Lilly Sr. (November 18, 1861 – February 8, 1948), nicknamed "J. K.," was an American businessman, pharmaceutical industrialist, and philanthropist who became president and chairman of the board of
Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...
, the pharmaceutical firm his father, Colonel Eli Lilly, founded in 1876. Josiah, the colonel's sole heir, began working at his father’s company at the age of fourteen. He graduated from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and became superintendent of the Lilly laboratories in 1882 and company president in 1898. Under his leadership, the company introduced standardized manufacturing processes, expanded its sales force, and increased its research efforts to develop new drugs. Eli Lilly and Company grew into one of the largest and most influential pharmaceutical corporations in the world, and the largest corporation in Indiana. Lilly’s eldest son, Eli Jr., succeeded him as president in 1932. His younger son, Josiah Jr. ("Joe"), succeeded Eli as company president in 1948. J. K. served as chairman of the board from 1932 until his death in 1948. Lilly was also 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 ...
who supported the projects of charitable and civic organizations in
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
and in
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
. Lily and his two sons established the Lilly Endowment in 1937 with Eli Lilly and Company stock valued as $280,000. It became one of the largest charitable foundations in the world, and today continues the Lilly family's legacy of philanthropy. Lilly also amassed a significant collection of composer Stephen Foster's music and Foster memorabilia, which he donated to the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
in 1937.


Early life and education

Josiah Kirby Lilly, the only son and heir of Eli Lilly, a pharmacist, and Emily (née Lemen) Lilly, was born on November 18, 1861, in Greencastle, Indiana. Eli, who enlisted in the
Union army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
in 1861 and was later promoted to colonel, was away at war at the time of his son's birth. Josiah's father returned home before reenlisting and first saw him in 1863. Josiah, later called "J. K." had an "unsettled childhood." Because of his father's business interests, he frequently moved. Colonel Lilly remained in the
South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
after the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, relocating his family to a
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
cotton plantation in 1865. Josiah and his parents were stricken with a mosquito-born disease, probably
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
, in 1866. Josiah and his father recovered, but his mother died on August 20, 1866, eight months pregnant with a second son, who was stillborn. Josiah's devastated father abandoned the plantation and let it fall into disrepair. Colonel Lilly filed
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...
in 1868. In the meantime Josiah returned Greencastle and lived with his grandparents, Gustavus and Esther Lilly, while his father attempted to reverse his financial difficulties and find other employment. Josiah's father found work as a pharmacist and drugstore proprietor in Greencastle and
Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
, Indiana, before opening a pharmacy in
Paris, Illinois Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city of Edgar County. History Paris was established in 1826 on land donated by ...
. Colonel Lilly married Maria Cynthia Sloan in 1869, and young Josiah soon joined his father and stepmother in Illinois, where they remained until the family moved to Indianapolis in 1873.Madison, p. 6. On May 10, 1876, Colonel Lilly founded his own pharmaceutical manufacturing business, which became known as
Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...
, at 15 West Pearl Street in Indianapolis. Josiah, who was aged fourteen at the time was among its first employees. He had quit school to work in the laboratory of his father's company as an apprentice and errand boy. Within a few years Eli Lilly and Company became a very successful business that was known for manufacturing high-quality prescription drugs, especially gelatin- and sugar-coated pills and capsules and fruit-flavored elixirs. By 1879 company sales had grown to $48,000 ($ in 2015 chained dollars). In 1880 Colonel Lilly sent Josiah to the
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...
(now known as the University of the Sciences) to increase his son's technical expertise so he could help develop the family business. Josiah graduated from the school in 1882, and returned to Indianapolis, where his father soon named him superintendent of the Lilly manufacturing laboratory, a position that J. K. held until in 1898 when he became company president.


Marriage and family

During his college years, J. K. met and became engaged to Lilly Ridgley of
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
. The couple married on November 18, 1882. Their eldest son, Eli Jr., was born on April 1, 1885, at the family's home on North Tennessee Street (renamed Capitol Street on 1895). When Eli was about eight years old the family moved to a home on North Pennsylvania Street, where a second son, Josiah Jr. (Joe), was born on September 25, 1893. J. K. acquired of property north of Indianapolis in what became the Crows Nest neighborhood in 1928. His wife, Lilly, who suffered from
pernicious anemia Pernicious anemia is a type of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, a disease in which not enough red blood cells are produced due to the malabsorption of vitamin B12. Malabsorption in pernicious anemia results from the lack or loss of intrinsic fa ...
, eventually became an invalid and died on April 19, 1934. In 1935 seventy-three-year-old J. K. married Lila Allison Humes, a fifty-one-year-old widow. Lila was also the sister of Ruth Allison Lilly, Eli Jr.’s wife. J. K. and Lila had no children. She died in 1971. In addition to their main residence in Indianapolis, the Lilly family maintained a cottage at Lake Wawasee in Kosciusko County, Indiana. J. K.'s father had built one of the summer resort’s first cottages from 1886–87 and founded the Wawasee Golf Club in 1891. J. K. built his own family cottage, called Anchors Aweigh, on the Lilly’s lakeside estate across the road from the golf club from 1936– 38. J. K. also established an apple orchard on property he purchased in 1896, north of downtown Indianapolis, at Seventy-First Street and College Avenue. In 1927 Lilly had a Tudor Revival-style, private performance hall built in the orchard and had a custom-built pipe organ installed. He initially named the building Melodeon Hall, but renamed it Foster Hall in the 1930s as a tribute to composer Stephen Foster. In the mid-1960s the Lilly family donated the property, including the music hall, to the Park School for boys. The present-day Park Tudor School is located on the property and continues to use the hall."Historical Background and Significance" in From


Career


Early career

In the early 1880s, while J. K. was superintendent of Eli Lilly and Company's laboratory, it began manufacturing Succus Alterans, a treatment for venereal disease, types of rheumatism, and skin diseases that became the company's first widely successful product. The growing company rapidly expanded, adding new employees and relocating to larger quarters in a complex of buildings at McCarty and Alabama Streets, south of downtown Indianapolis, in 1881. By 1890, when J. K. became de facto head of the company, it had grown into one of the largest in Indiana and had several hundred employees. Among Lilly's employees were his young sons, Eli and Joe, who ran errands and performed other odd jobs after school. Around 1890 J. K. assumed day-to-day management of the business and Colonel Lilly retired to focus on charitable and civic pursuits. Under J. K.'s leadership the company flourished, despite the tumultuous economic conditions of the 1890s. It survived an economic recession and continued to grow as it made several successful technological advances in its manufacturing processes, such as automation of its capsule production, and focused on research and mass production of high-quality, medicinal drugs.


Company president

After Colonel Lilly died in 1898, J. K became president of the family's pharmaceutical business and heir to the family fortune. J. K. continued to grow the business, which saw considerable growth during the 1910s. The company continued to advance production automation, while its research department made small advances. During his tenure as president, the company introduced standardized manufacturing processes, expanded the company's sales force, and increased research efforts to develop new drugs.Bodenhamer and Barrows, eds., p. 913. One of its most significant projects occurred in 1922 when he signed an agreement on behalf of the company to form a partnership with a
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
firm, Connaught Anti-toxin Laboratories, that resulted in the first commercial, mass-production of
insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
. The Lilly company's trademarked name for its new product was Iletin, which it began to distribute in 1923. Lilly's two sons followed their father into the family business. His eldest son, Eli, succeeded him as president in 1932; J.K. continued as its chairman of the board and focused more of his time on philanthropy. Following J. K's death in 1948, Eli became chairman of the board (1948–53 and 1966–69) and honorary chairman (1953–66 and 1969–77); J. K.'s younger son and namesake, Josiah Jr. (Joe), served as president (1948–53) and chairman of the board (1953–66).


Later years

In the 1930s, after his retirement from day-to-day operations of Eli Lilly and Company, J. K. pursued several personal and philanthropic interests. He became an orchid breeder and began collecting Stephen Foster music compositions and Foster memorabilia. He maintained his extensive collection at Melodeon Hall (renamed Foster Hall), his private performance hall and library in Indianapolis.


Philanthropist

Lilly was "a lifelong benefactor" to Indianapolis and active in many
philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
organizations, including the Indianapolis Commercial Club, the local YMCA,
Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...
, the
Indiana Historical Society The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...
, and the
James Whitcomb Riley James Whitcomb Riley (October 7, 1849 – July 22, 1916) was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry. His ...
Memorial Association. J. K. served as board chairman of the Indianapolis Foundation and supported the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the city's Community Fund, Tuberculosis Association, Wheeler Rescue Mission, and the Red Cross. Lilly also served as a trustee of
Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. He was a member of the Orchid Society of California.


Lilly Endowment

In 1937 Lilly and his sons, Eli and Joe, founded the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment with an initial contribution of Eli Lilly and Company stock valued at $280,000. J. K. served on the board and became its largest contributor, while his son, Eli, managed the private family endowment for its first twelve years. Over time J. K. made contributions of Eli and Lilly Company stock worth a total of $86.8 million, including a $30 million bequest following his death in 1948; his two sons contributed stock with a combined value of $6.8 million. In 1998 the Lilly Endowment became the largest philanthropic endowment in the world in terms of assets (estimated value of $15.4 billion) and charitable giving. Others have surpassed it, but it remains among the top five, as of 2014, in terms of total assets ($9.96 billion).


Music collection

Lilly was known for his extensive collection of composer Stephen Foster's music. In December 1933, he published ''Foster Hall Reproductions'', a collection of 224
facsimile A facsimile (from Latin ''fac simile'', "to make alike") is a copy or reproduction of an old book, manuscript, map, Old master print, art print, or other item of historical value that is as true to the original source as possible. It differs from ...
s of Foster's sheet music. The publication has been described as the first Gesamtausgaben ("collected works") of an American musical artist. According to author Mariana Whitmer in ''American Music'', Lilly's response to what he viewed as a "small and distorted" sample of Foster recordings, led to his commission of ''Foster Hall Recordings'', a ninety-six-disc set that contained "the complete works of Stephen Foster as ... known in 1933." Lilly donated his Foster Hall collection to the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
in 1937. Fletcher Hodges Jr., whom Lilly hired to help with the Foster collection, curated the university's Foster archive at its
Stephen Foster Memorial The Stephen Collins Foster Memorial is a performing arts center and museum which houses the Stephen Foster Archives at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is dedicated to the life and works of American songwriter Ste ...
for fifty-one years. The archival collection contained approximately 30,000 documents as of 2006.


Death and legacy

Lilly died on February 8, 1948, at the age of eighty-six. His estate was valued at $6.5 million at the time of his death. He is buried at
Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...
in Indianapolis. Lilly's son, Eli, donated his father's home in Indianapolis's Crows Nest neighborhood, as well as his own to
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...
. Eli also provided the university with a $1 million endowment to maintain the two properties. J. K.'s legacy at Eli Lilly and Company included the introduction of uniform standards for manufacturing products, a significant increase its sales staff (more than 500 percent), and establishing its first branch offices in New York and New Orleans. In 1905, during his tenure as president, the company reached $1 million in sales. Lilly's son, Eli, joined the family business in 1907, and succeeded J. K. as company president in 1932. Lilly's son, Joe, joined the firm in 1914 and succeeded his brother, Eli, as company president in 1948.Madison, pp. 21, 23, 37, 91, 208. In 1921, during J. K.'s tenure as president, Eli Lilly and Company obtained the rights to mass produce insulin, in cooperation with University of Toronto scientists, once the production methods were perfected and approved. The product's debut in 1923, while his son, Eli Jr. was company president, began an era of numerous new product introductions and manufacturing improvements that increased company profits and achieved the company national and international recognition. Eli Lilly and Company grew into one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Under J.K. Lilly's leadership, as well as his two sons and their successors, the company developed many new innovations, including advancements in the mass production of medicines, the pioneering development of
insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
during the 1920s, mass production of
penicillin Penicillins (P, PCN or PEN) are a group of β-lactam antibiotics originally obtained from ''Penicillium'' moulds, principally '' P. chrysogenum'' and '' P. rubens''. Most penicillins in clinical use are synthesised by P. chrysogenum using ...
during the 1940s, and polio vaccine in the 1950s. In later years the company introduced innovations in antibiotics, such as
Ceclor Cefaclor, sold under the trade name Ceclor among others, is a second-generation cephalosporin antibiotic used to treat certain bacterial infections such as pneumonia and infections of the ear, lung, skin, throat, and urinary tract. It is also avail ...
, and antidepressants, such as
Prozac Fluoxetine, sold under the brand names Prozac and Sarafem, among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It is used for the treatment of major depressive disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorde ...
, and diversified into agricultural chemicals, animal-health products, and beauty products, among other product lines. According to ''
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'', it ranked as the 243rd largest public company in the world in 2016, with sales of $20 billion and a market value of $86 billion ( USD). J. K.'s legacy is also evident in his company’s charitable work. He established the Lilly tradition of providing aid to disaster victims. While he was company president, Eli Lilly and Company sent medicine and supplies to the victims of the
1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
and fire. He also set a company precedent in 1919 that continued during the Great Depression. Instead of layoffs, which most companies did to cut expenses, Lilly's company reduced employee work hours, but increased wages to compensate for the loss of income. One of J.K.'s and his two sons' greatest legacies was the establishment of the Lilly Endowment in 1937. In 1998 the family's charitable foundation became the largest philanthropic endowment in the world in terms of assets and charitable giving. As of 2014, it ranked fifth on a list of the largest charitable foundations in total assets ($9.96 billion) and ranked twenty-first in total giving ($333.6 million).


Honors and tributes

Lilly was the recipient of the
Remington medal The Remington Honor Medal, named for eminent community pharmacist, manufacturer, and educator Joseph P. Remington (1847-1918), was established in 1918 to recognize distinguished service on behalf of American pharmacy during the preceding year ...
in 1942, which was awarded to and individual who "contributed most during the year to the advancement of the profession of pharmacy or whose contributions over a period of years are worthy of recognition," . Lilly is featured in the
Indiana Historical Society The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...
exhibition, "You Are There: ''Eli Lilly at the Beginning''," at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in Indianapolis. The exhibition (October 1, 2016, to January 20, 2018) includes a recreation of the first Lilly laboratory on Pearl Street in Indianapolis and a costumed interpreter portraying a teenaged J. K. Lilly. See also


References


Sources

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Further reading

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External links


Eli Lilly and Company
official website *
Lilly Endowment, Inc.
official website * (Finding aid for the Foster Hall Collection at the University of Pittsburgh) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lilly, Josiah K. Sr. 1861 births 1948 deaths American philanthropists Philanthropists from Indiana Indiana Republicans People from Greencastle, Indiana Businesspeople from Indianapolis Presidents of Eli Lilly and Company Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery