The Meyer Brothers Drug Company was a major wholesale drug house founded by Christian F. G. Meyer at Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1852, beginning with Meyer as the owner and only salesman, working his trade on horseback.[1] Meyer had come to the United States from Hanover, Germany in 1847. In 1857, Meyer's brother John F. W. Meyer became a full partner in the business.[1] By 1865, the business had grown and branched out to other cities; the firm abandoned retail sales for wholesale and moved its headquarters to St. Louis on the supposition that the city was destined to be one of the greatest distributing markets in America.[1] In 1865 Meyer purchased the M. Matthews and Sons drug firm, located on the corner of Second and Locust Streets (now part of the Gateway Arch grounds). It was not until 1889 that the business was incorporated under the "Meyer Brothers Drug Company" name.[1]
Founder Christian died on July 12, 1905, while on a visit to Germany.[2] Christian's son, Carl F. G. Meyer, inherited leadership of the firm.[1] By 1935, Carl F. G. Meyer III was a director and executive at the firm, while his grandfather remained the company's head.[3] By 1955, C. F. G. Meyer III had advanced to become president of the company.[4]
By the early part of the 20th century, Meyer Brothers was the "largest independent wholesale drug company" in the United States,[1] and also a major exporter of these commodities to other countries in the Western Hemisphere. It was bought out by Fox Meyer Health Corporation in July 1981.[5]
Founder Christian Meyer had an interest in the history of drug making and, as a hobby, amassed a collection of morters and pestles, show globes and other historical tools of the trade that were displayed in the company's "directors' room" as of 1935.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "Meyer Bros. Drug Co., Pioneer Firm Here, 88 Years Old Today". Part Two. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 66, no. 116. September 12, 1940. p. 1B (13). Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Toms, J. E. (October 1905). Report of the Secretary. The Thirty-First Annual Meeting National Wholesale Druggists' Association, At New York. Indianapolis, Indiana: The Hollenbeck Press. p. 42 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b Thornton, Hamilton (December 29, 1935). "Where a Colonial Apothecary Would Feel at Home". Part 3. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 61, no. 224. p. 3C (17). Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ "Municipal Opera Directors Elect Six New Members". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 81, no. 110. September 29, 1955. p. 8A (8). Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- ^ Moenster, Kathleen. "Meyer Brothers Drug Company Artifacts, Artifact of the Month for February 2012 - Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. US National Park Service. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
Further reading edit
- The firm published a type of free trade magazine for the "drug trade" in the United States, an example of which from 1922: Meyer Druggist, Myer Brothers Drug Company, April 1922, retrieved July 12, 2023 – via Internet Archive
- 1945 building purchases in St. Louis: "Meyer Bros. Drug Co. Buys $90,000 Plant". Section F. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 71, no. 85. August 12, 1945. p. F1 (37). Retrieved July 12, 2023. "Meyer Bros. Drug Buys $40,000 Broadway Building". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 71, no. 8. May 27, 1945. p. F1 (33). Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- 1951 acquisition of Emison Wholesale Drug Company: "C. of C. Reports on 12 Expansions". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 77, no. 69. August 19, 1951. p. 12C (38). Retrieved July 12, 2023.
- 1951, 100th anniversary of founding: "Drug Firm Observes 100th Anniversary". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. Vol. 77, no. 203. December 31, 1951. p. 6A (6). Retrieved July 12, 2023.