Horace Hagedorn
BornMarch 18, 1915
Manhattan, New York, US
DiedJanuary 31, 2005(2005-01-31) (aged 89)
Sands Point, New York, US
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)Advertising executive, businessman, philanthropist
Years active1936–1997
Known forCo-Founder of the Miracle Gro brand
Spouses
  • Peggy Hagedorn (died 1984)
  • Amy Maiello (m. 1985)
Children6

Horace Hagedorn (1915 – 2005[1]) was an advertising executive, businessman and philanthropist, who was co-founder of the Miracle-Gro brand, with Otto Stern. He eventually bought out the 50% interest of Stern.

Biography

Horace Hagedorn was born on March 18, 1915, in Manhattan, New York. He obtained a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in business, later selling radio advertising.[1]

Miracle-Gro, a water-soluble fertilizer, was developed after Hagedorn met nurseryman Otto Stern and learned of Stern's troubles shipping plants in 1944.[1][2][3] The pair hired O. Wesley Davidson, a Rutgers University professor to develop the fertilizer.[1] Hagedorn used royalties from producing a crime-drama "The Big Story" to fund the company.[2] In 1950, the company was formed after his wife Peggy named the product.[1][4] He is largely credited with the success of the company due to the nature of his effective marketing – employing advertisements in differing medias and working with emerging hardware chains.[1] Hagedorn, however, credits being at the right place at the right time for the success of the company. In 1963, he became the company's first full time salesman.[2] In 1995, the company merged with Scotts for $200 million in stock, with Hagedorn as the majority investor. The merger created the world's largest maker of lawn and garden products.[1][5] He retired from Miracle-Gro in 1997.[6]

In later life, he donated large sums of money to various charities, particularly those dealing with children.[1][7] In 2000, he gave $45 million to the Long Island Community Foundation, funded a cleft palate clinic at North Shore University Hospital, and underwrote the Miracle-Gro Kids program.[8]

Death and legacy

The School of Business at Adelphi University and the School of Education at Hofstra University are both named after him.[1]

He died on January 31, 2005, in Sands Point, New York, of pulmonary fibrosis.[1] His second wife, Amy, founded the Hagedorn Foundation in 2005.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Martin, Douglas (2005-02-01). "Horace Hagedorn, 89, Marketing Genius Behind Miracle-Gro, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Weber, Sandra (1993-07-25). "Long Island Q&A;: Horace Hagedorn; A Small Company's Nuts-and-Bolts Approach, and Voila! (Published 1993)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  3. ↑ Weber, Sandra (1993-07-25). "Long Island Q&A;: Horace Hagedorn; A Small Company's Nuts-and-Bolts Approach, and Voila! (Published 1993)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  4. ↑ Perrone, Stephanie (2018-05-16). "The Sands Point Man Who Planted Miracle-Gro". LI Press. Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  5. ↑ Ringer, Richard (1995-01-27). "COMPANY NEWS; Scotts Sets Merger Deal With Stern's (Published 1995)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  6. ↑ Fischler, Marcelle S. (2006-01-01). "The Legacies They Left (Published 2006)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  7. ↑ Fischler, Marcelle S. (2006-01-01). "The Legacies They Left (Published 2006)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  8. ↑ Fischler, Marcelle S. (2000-11-12). "What a Little Miracle-Gro Will Do (Published 2000)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  9. ↑ "Retrospective | Hagedorn Foundation". hagedornfoundation.org. Retrieved 2020-11-19.


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