C. W. Post
Encyclopedia
Charles William Post also known as C.W. Post, was an American
breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry.
C.W. Post was the son of Charles Rollins Post and the former Caroline Lathrop.
He visited the Battle Creek Sanitarium
operated by John Harvey Kellogg
for his failing health. He was inspired to start his own cereal company based on the products used there.
In 1895, he founded Postum Cereal Co.
, with his first product, Postum
cereal beverage. Post's first breakfast cereal premiered in 1897, and he named the product Grape Nuts cereal because of the grape-like aroma noticed during the manufacturing process and the nutty
crunch of the finished product.
In 1904, he followed up the Grape Nuts label with a brand of corn flakes
, which was first called Elijah's Manna and later (1908) renamed Post Toasties
.
C.W. Post's business produced one of the largest fortunes of the early 20th century. He married Ella Letitia Merriweather. Their only child, Marjorie Merriweather Post
, married Edward F. Hutton and owned a 177 acre (0.71629422 km²) estate on Long Island's North Shore called "Hillwood." Marjorie sold the estate in 1951 for $200,000 to Long Island University
, which founded C.W. Post College
in 1954 on the 100th anniversary of C. W. Post's birth. Currently the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University has about 8,500 full- and part-time students with over 100,000 alumni.
Post also attempted to develop a Utopia
n community on 200000 acres (809.4 km²) in Texas
at the Double U Ranch, later named Post
, Texas
in his honor. It became the county seat of Garza County, Texas
.
In late 1913 and early 1914, Post's health deteriorated to the point that he canceled public appearances, which prompted speculation in the press regarding his well-being. In early March, the president of the Santa Fe Railroad arranged for Post to be rushed via a nonstop train ride in a private car from California to Rochester, Minnesota
, where he was operated on for acute appendicitis
on March 10. The operation was a success and he was allowed to return to his home in Santa Barbara, California
to recuperate. Post died in Santa Barbara on May 9, 1914, by a self-inflicted gun wound. It is believed that his suicide was committed due to frustration over continued health problems (thinking he had stomach cancer). His 27-year-old daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post
, inherited his company along with most of his vast fortune.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
breakfast cereal and foods manufacturer and a pioneer in the prepared-food industry.
Biography
He visited the Battle Creek Sanitarium
Battle Creek Sanitarium
The Battle Creek Sanitarium, in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States, first opened on September 5, 1866, as the Western Health Reform Institute, based on the health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1876, John Harvey Kellogg became the superintendent, and his brother, W....
operated by John Harvey Kellogg
John Harvey Kellogg
John Harvey Kellogg was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan, who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas and exercise. Kellogg was an advocate of vegetarianism and is best known for the invention of the corn flakes breakfast cereal...
for his failing health. He was inspired to start his own cereal company based on the products used there.
In 1895, he founded Postum Cereal Co.
Post Cereals
Post Foods, LLC, also known as Post Cereals is a food company that was founded by C.W. Post in 1895 with the first Postum, a "cereal beverage," developed by Post in Battle Creek, Michigan. The first cereal, Grape-Nuts, was developed in 1897. Post has its headquarters in the Bank of America Plaza...
, with his first product, Postum
Postum
Postum was a powdered roasted grain beverage sold by the Kraft Foods company as a coffee substitute. The caffeine-free beverage mix was created by Postum Cereal Company founder C. W. Post in 1895 and marketed as a healthful alternative to coffee...
cereal beverage. Post's first breakfast cereal premiered in 1897, and he named the product Grape Nuts cereal because of the grape-like aroma noticed during the manufacturing process and the nutty
Nutty
Nutty was a British comic that ran for 292 issues from 16 February 1980 to 14 September 1985, when it merged with The Dandy. Published by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, Nutty was an attempt to create a more lively and chaotic comic compared to many on sale at the time. Its strips included:* Bananaman as...
crunch of the finished product.
In 1904, he followed up the Grape Nuts label with a brand of corn flakes
Corn flakes
Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
, which was first called Elijah's Manna and later (1908) renamed Post Toasties
Post Toasties
Post Toasties is an American breakfast cereal that is made by Post Cereals. It was named for its originator, C. W. Post. It was the Post version of corn flakes, popularized by Kellogg's.Post Toasties were previously called Elijah's Manna Post Toasties is an American breakfast cereal that is made...
.
C.W. Post's business produced one of the largest fortunes of the early 20th century. He married Ella Letitia Merriweather. Their only child, Marjorie Merriweather Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post
-External links:******...
, married Edward F. Hutton and owned a 177 acre (0.71629422 km²) estate on Long Island's North Shore called "Hillwood." Marjorie sold the estate in 1951 for $200,000 to Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...
, which founded C.W. Post College
Long Island University C.W. Post Campus
The C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is a private institution of higher education located in Brookville in Nassau County, New York, United States...
in 1954 on the 100th anniversary of C. W. Post's birth. Currently the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University has about 8,500 full- and part-time students with over 100,000 alumni.
Post also attempted to develop a Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n community on 200000 acres (809.4 km²) in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
at the Double U Ranch, later named Post
Post, Texas
Post is a city in and the county seat of Garza County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census.There are many ranchers and civic boosters in Garza County, among them Giles McCrary, a former mayor who operates the OS Museum, a hybrid of exhibits from both the American West...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in his honor. It became the county seat of Garza County, Texas
Garza County, Texas
Garza County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas southeast of Lubbock. In 2000, its population was 4,872. Its county seat is Post. Garza is named for a pioneer Bexar County family, as it was once a part of that county....
.
Rochester, Minnesota
Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on both banks of the Zumbro River, The city has a population of 106,769 according to the 2010 United States Census, making it Minnesota's third-largest city and the largest outside of the...
, where he was operated on for acute appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
on March 10. The operation was a success and he was allowed to return to his home in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
to recuperate. Post died in Santa Barbara on May 9, 1914, by a self-inflicted gun wound. It is believed that his suicide was committed due to frustration over continued health problems (thinking he had stomach cancer). His 27-year-old daughter, Marjorie Merriweather Post
Marjorie Merriweather Post
-External links:******...
, inherited his company along with most of his vast fortune.
See also
- Post CerealsPost CerealsPost Foods, LLC, also known as Post Cereals is a food company that was founded by C.W. Post in 1895 with the first Postum, a "cereal beverage," developed by Post in Battle Creek, Michigan. The first cereal, Grape-Nuts, was developed in 1897. Post has its headquarters in the Bank of America Plaza...
- Garza County Historical MuseumGarza County Historical MuseumThe Garza County Historical Museum houses a large collection of mostly ranch, cowboy, Indian, and pioneer artifacts located in a 1912 two-story colonial-style building of twenty-six rooms and hallways in Post, Texas, a community established by and named for the cereal magnate C. W. Post.The museum...
- General FoodsGeneral FoodsGeneral Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
- C.W. Post Memorial Camp
External links
- History of C.W. Post (company site)
- Another biography of C.W. (Charles William) Post
- Records of Post land colonization company in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University See also other Double U Ranch records.
- Blueprints of structures at Post, Texas, 1908-1915, in the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University