J. A. Folger
Founder of the Folgers Coffee Company.
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James Athearn Folger Sr. (June 17, 1835 – June 26, 1889) was an American businessman who founded the Folgers Coffee Company. Born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, he was the second youngest of nine children. His father, a master blacksmith, had invested in a tryworks and bought two ships. At age eleven, Folger helped rebuild Nantucket after a fire destroyed the works and ship.
He later sailed to California with two brothers in 1849, arriving in San Francisco on May 5, 1850. High wages kept him in the city, where he helped reconstruct after fires and built a spice-and-coffee mill for William H. Bovee. In 1860, he founded the J. A. Folger Coffee Company, known today as Folgers Coffee.
Early years
Folger was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, to Samuel Brown Folger and Nancy Hiller. His father, a master blacksmith, had invested in a tryworks and bought two ships.
James was the second youngest of nine children. The family traced its roots to English colonist Peter Folger. In 1846, a fire destroyed the works and ship, and eleven-year-old James helped with reconstruction.
Personal life
Folger married Eleanor Laughran. They had four children: James Athearn Folger Jr., John Athearn, Ernest Randolph, and Elizabeth. He was the paternal grandfather of Peter Folger and great-grandfather of Abigail Folger, who was murdered in 1969 by members of the Manson family. He was also the uncle of Henry Clay Folger, founder of the Folger Shakespeare Library.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: J. A. Folger (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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