Obituary of Arthur J. McGuire (b.1874 d.1933), Swift County, MN

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Ruth

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DIED THURSDAY
LAND O LAKES COMPANY HEAD
Founder, Manager of Creamery Group Was Native Son of
Swift County

Arthur J. McCuire, founder and manager of the Land O' Lakes Creameries, Inc.,   
and a native of Swift county, died Thursday, October 26, after a brief illness   
in Miller hospital at St. Paul. He was 59 years old. Mr. McGuire was stricken   
with a stomach ailment in his home in South Saint Paul Monday night and failed   
to rally after an operation Wednesday. His wife was convalescing in the same   
hospital from a three months' illness when he died.
Funeral services were conducted in Saint Marks Catholic Church and burial was   
made in the Catholic cemetery in Hegbert Township, Swift County, yesterday   
afternoon.
Probably Swift county's most famed son, Mr. McGuire was widely known as "the   
father of co-operative marketing in Minnesota and served as general manager of   
Land O' Lakes Creameries, the largest dairy co-operative in the United States,   
all during the eleven years that have elapsed since he took the first steps   
toward its formation. Proud of his native Swift County, he made many visits here   
and was well known to residents of this community.  Known personally to almost   
every creamery operator in the northwest. Mr. McGuire was consulted at frequent   
intervals by sponsors of co-operative movements throughout the world and was   
considered an authority on such problems.
The Land O' Lakes Creameries sprang into being in 1925 from the Minnesota Co-
operative Creameries Association, Inc., which was Mr. McGuire's idea, the result   
of almost 30 years of contact with dairymen and creamery operators in Minnesota   
as a member of the University of Minnesota department of agriculture staff.
Sought Marketing Facilities.  In 1921, as a dairy expert in the university   
extension division, Mr. McGuire went to New York with a view of obtaining better   
marketing facilities for Minnesota Butter.  Lack of organization, he found was   
working against the successful marketing of the Minnesota product and he   
conceived the idea of a marketing organization to include all of the 650 co-
operative creameries in the state.   
The state department of agriculture, at Mr. McGuire's request called a meeting   
of 300 operators of co-operative creameries.  The operators decided to organize   
and Mr. McGuire was named on the organization committee.  A short while later,   
he obtained a six months leave from the University and spent the time traveling   
about the state to bring creameries into organization.   
Became General Manager.
With the final formation of the organization in 1922, Mr. McGuire was named   
general manager and in that position continued to direct the concerns activities   
until his death.  Under his management, the annual business of the organization   
grew from $12,000,000 to more than $51,000,000 and its products found a market   
through out the world.  It comprises now 450 co-operative creameries owned by   
more than 83,000 farmers.
Mr. McGuire was born in Hegbert Township, Swift County, July 27, 1874.  He   
graduated from the collage of Agriculture in 1906; on graduation he was   
appointed director of the north central experiment station of the university at   
Grand Rapids and remained there until 1914,when he was transferred to the   
extension division as dairying expert.
While at Grand Rapids, Mr. McGuire developed a herd of Guernsey cattle to   
demonstrate to farmers they could obtain larger cash returns from their herds by   
breeding better milk producers.  He also spent considerable time organizing co-
operative creameries into county units to facilitate the marketing of their   
products.  He traveled widely in North and South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa as   
well as Minnesota, speaking to creamery groups and avocation co-operative   
marking   
Mr. McGuire was of the conviction that farmers should organize as consumers as   
well as producers and he gave much of his time to this end.  It was his feeling   
that "co-operation is the Key to business recovery and prosperity never can be   
universal or permanent until it is extended to all lines of human endeavor.
He was in much demand as a speaker and frequently pleaded for lower tariff   
walls, stabilization of world monetary systems, disarmament, giving labor and   
farmers full compensation for what they produce in service and foods" and for   
development of co-operation between industries and nations as well as farmers.    
A member of the Saturday Lunch Club of Minneapolis.  Mr. McGuire also belonged   
to the St. Paul Athletic Club and the Midway Club.   He served as vice president   
of the Minnesota Dairymen's Association and was a member of the boards of   
directors of several livestock breeders Associations.  Survivors are his wife   
Mrs. Marie McGuire; His Mother, Mrs. Mary McGuire, both of Saint Paul, and three   
sisters.  Mrs. Agnes Connolly of St. Paul, Mrs. Mary Gallagher of Minneapolis,   
and Mrs. Lucy Connolly of Mt. Vernon N.Y.   

Swift County News
Oct. 31, 1933