Armour and Co. - Specimen Stock Certificate

Specimen Stock printed by American Bank Note Company. Armour & Company was a major American firm and one of the leading companies in the meatpacking industry. It was founded in 1863 in Chicago by the Armour brothers, with Philip Danforth Armour playing a central role. By 1880, Armour & Company had become Chicago's most significant business, contributing to the growth of the Union Stock Yards and establishing Chicago as the hub of America's meatpacking industry. The company also expanded to Omaha, Nebraska, where its operations flourished, making Omaha's meatpacking industry the nation's largest by 1959.

Armour & Company diversified its business, venturing into pharmaceuticals (through Armour Pharmaceuticals) and soap manufacturing, introducing the popular Dial soap in 1948. Over time, the Armour brand was divided among various companies. Smithfield Foods now owns Armour Meats (for refrigerated products), ConAgra Brands owns Armour Star (for canned meats), Forest Laboratories owns the Armour pharmaceutical brand, and Henkel owns Dial soap. Armour's roots trace back to Milwaukee, where Philip D. Armour joined John Plankinton in 1863 to form Plankinton, Armour & Company, building on Plankinton's earlier meatpacking business. The partnership expanded to include branches in Chicago, Kansas City, and New York City. In 1884, the partners dissolved their collaboration, leading to the formation of the Cudahy Packing Company in Milwaukee.