Pillsbury, Charles Alfred

Pillsbury, Charles Alfred (1842–99) flour miller; born in Warner, N.H. In 1869, shortly after joining his uncle, John Sargent Pillsbury, in Minneapolis, he bought into a flour mill. An innovative manager and marketer, he acquired new milling technology and within a few years the Pillsbury Mill was flourishing. In 1872, with his father and uncle, he organized C. A. Pillsbury & Company and expanded to six more mills in 10 years; by the early 1900s the Pillsbury flour mills were the largest such enterprise in the world. Involved in all aspects of the grain trade, he supported favorable freight rates accorded dealers who brought their grain to Minneapolis, and the development of the Minneapolis, Saulte Sainte Marie, & Atlantic Railway, actions he was able to facilitate as a state senator from 1878–85. When the Pillsbury company was sold in 1889 to an English syndicate, he remained as managing director. Known as a speculator in the wheat market who lost vast sums, he was also generous to his employees and to charities.