Knox, Rose Markward

Knox, Rose Markward (1857–1950) food products manufacturer; born in Mansfield, Ohio. In 1883 she married Charles Briggs Knox, a glove salesman, and they started a profitable gelatin business together. Following his death in 1908, she ran the Knox Gelatin Company, based in Jamestown, N.Y., and turned it into a market leader. She sponsored research, directed the advertising toward women, emphasized nutritional values and sanitary production, and created a market for food-quality gelatin by publishing recipe books. She was also a progressive employer, pioneering in the five-day work week and paid sick and vacation leave. She was the first woman on the board of directors of the American Grocery Manufacturers' Association (1929) and became known as the grand old lady of American business, relinquishing the presidency at age 90, but remaining as chairperson of the company.