Frank Van Camp (January 21, 1863 – November 11, 1937)[1] was an American businessman who founded the Van Camp Seafood Company, now known as Chicken of the Sea.[2][3][4] He introduced various innovations in the seafood industry, such as refrigerated fishing boats, and has been regarded as a "pioneer of the tuna industry."[5][6]

Early life and family

He was born in Brookville, Indiana, to Gilbert Van Camp and Hester Jane Raymond. His father was the founder of the Van Camp's Canning Company.[7]

Career

Van Camp's Canning Company

Van Camp began working at his father's Van Camp's Canning Company as a young adult, eventually becoming Secretary-Treasurer.[1] In 1894, an Indianapolis merchandiser brought a load of canned baked beans to the Van Camp plant to have them reprocessed. At lunch time, Van Camp opened a can to eat with his lunch. The flavor of the beans was flat, so to make them more palatable he added some Van Camps' ketchup, originating "Van Camp's Pork and Beans with Tomato Sauce."[8][9][1]

After his father's death in 1900, Frank took over Van Camp's Canning Company. By 1909, Van Camp's was the dominant vendor of pork and beans in the United States.[10] However, due to excessive gambling, the construction of a large mansion in Indianapolis, and unsuccessful attempts to enter the Midwest U.S. tomato market, Van Camp accrued debts of over $1,000,000 by 1912.[10][4] Due to his financial difficulties, Van Camp was forced to sell 80% of his ownership share of the company to his lenders, effectively ending his association with Van Camp's, which was eventually sold to Campbell Soup.[4] Shortly afterwards, Van Camp moved from Indianapolis to California.[10][11]

Van Camp Seafood Company

In 1914, Van Camp and his son Gilbert purchased the California Tuna Canning Company and changed its name to the Van Camp Seafood Company.[2][12][4] The phrase "Chicken of the Sea", first devised as a way to describe the taste, was so successful that soon it also became the company name.[13][14][6] In 1916, Van Camp expanded the company internationally, partnering with Japanese seafood companies and the Imperial Fisheries Institute of Tokyo.[15][14] Van Camp introduced various innovations in the seafood industry, such as refrigerated fishing boats.[5]

In 1922, Van Camp led the merger of his company with White Star Canning Company.[3] During this period, Van Camp was also the President of the Southern California Fish Canners' Association.[16] By the early 1930s, the company acquired its own fishing fleet and had 67 boats.[2][15]

In 1934, Van Camp played a critical role during the fishermen's and cannery workers' industrial strike. He refused to recognize the union and instead attempted to form a company union.[17] Over one thousand workers and union activists congregated outside of the Van Camp cannery, demanding that they have their own union. Eventually, Van Camp locked out the strikers and requested the local police to suppress the strike.[17]

Death

Van Camp died in 1937 and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery.[18] At the time of his death, the Van Camp Seafood Company was the world's largest tuna packer.[3][4][18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Van Camp Family". Crown Hill Heritage Foundation. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  2. 1 2 3 Pegels, C. Carl (2011-08-01). Prominent Dutch American Entrepreneurs: Their Contributions to American Society, Culture and Economy. IAP. ISBN 978-1-61735-501-1.
  3. 1 2 3 Food and Drink in American History: a "full Course" Encyclopedia. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 2013. ISBN 979-8-216-08547-8.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Smith, Andrew F. (2012-08-08). American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-95415-1.
  5. 1 2 "Chicken of the Sea Cannery". LA Conservancy. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  6. 1 2 "Voices from the Fisheries: Pioneers of the West Coast Tuna Industry | NOAA Fisheries". NOAA. 2022-10-25. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
  7. ↑ "Obituary - Frank Van Camp: Former President of Packing Firm Founded by His Father". The New York Times. November 25, 1937.
  8. ↑ McPhetridge, Lannes. "Rise of the Van Camps." Printers' Ink, 14 October 1908, 65: 3, pp. 3-7; p. 4.
  9. ↑ McPhetridge 1908, pp. 6-7.
  10. 1 2 3 Gugin, Linda C.; Clair, James E. St (2016-05-20). Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State. Indiana Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-87195-393-3.
  11. ↑ Machlin, Sherri (2011-08-23). American Food by the Decades. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-0-313-37699-3.
  12. ↑ Oldham, J. Thomas (2021-10-28). Divorce, Separation and the Distribution of Property. Law Journal Press. ISBN 978-1-58852-043-2.
  13. ↑ "Chicken of the Sea - Frequently Asked Questions - Why the name Chicken of the Sea?". chickenofthesea.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  14. 1 2 Ulanski, Stan (2016-02-13). The California Current: A Pacific Ecosystem and Its Fliers, Divers, and Swimmers. UNC Press Books. ISBN 978-1-4696-2825-7.
  15. 1 2 Western Canner and Packer. Miller Freeman Publications of California. 1916.
  16. ↑ Canner and Dried Fruit Packer. Triad Publishing Company. 1919.
  17. 1 2 Jr, Rudy P. Guevarra (2012-05-09). Becoming Mexipino: Multiethnic Identities and Communities in San Diego. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-5326-9.
  18. 1 2 "Chicken of the Sea Tuna". Crown Hill Heritage Foundation. 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
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