Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Christoph, George J. January 1, 1893 - 
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Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com October 28, 2009, 10:28 pm

Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 161-162
Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     GEORGE J. CHRISTOPH, general manager for the Colgate Palm Olive-Peet 
Company at Portland, is a man of great energy and executive ability and is in 
every respect well qualified for the responsible position which he is so 
capably filling. The Palm Olive-Peet Company was formed January 1, 1927, as 
successor to the Palmolive Company and Peet Brothers, with headquarters at 
Chicago, Illinois. Both former companies were numbered among the old and 
prosperous soap manufacturing concerns of this country, Peet Brothers being 
located at Kansas City, and the consolidated company now ranks as the third 
largest soap manufacturing firm in the world and the second largest in the 
United States. It manufactures a full line of soaps and toilet articles, and 
in the Portland, Kansas City and Milwaukee plants also makes pure cocoanut oil 
edible products which enter into the manufacture of oleomargarine, candy and 
pastry goods. The Portland plant was originally established as the American-
Oriental Company about 1903 and was chiefly devoted to importing copra and 
making cocoanut oil. Later it became known as the Cocoanut Products Company, 
and eventually the Kaola Company, which name it bore when taken over by the 
Palm Olive Company, which continued the same line of business until the plant 
was destroyed by fire in 1921, when it was rebuilt on a larger scale and 
better equipped than before and has since been devoted to the refining of 
cocoanut oil for edible use and soap manufacturing. At that time also the 
company established a soap-making department, which was operated until April 
27, 1928, when it was discontinued. The company buys its cocoanut oil in the 
Philippine islands, whence it is shipped to Portland in tank steamers to the 
amount of about nine thousand tons a year, at a valuation, at average price, 
of about two million dollars. The Portland plant, which comprises one three-
story building and two two-story buildings, covers about a half block of 
ground, and gives employment to about forty people, most of whom are skilled 
workmen. The payroll for 1927 amounted to approximately sixty-five thousand 
dollars. Excepting the lumber interests, this company is the largest outbound 
shipper of goods in Oregon, both as to tonnage and value.

     George J. Christoph was born in Menominee, Michigan, on the 1st of 
January, 1893, a son of George J. and Barbara Christoph. His father, who 
followed tailoring, died in 1922, and the mother now resides in Seattle, 
Washington, to which city the family moved in 1901. Mr. Christoph received a 
good public school education, graduating from high school, and then entered 
the employ of the Seattle Transfer Company, with which he remained for ten 
years. He then became production manufacturing supervisor for the American Can 
Company, in which capacity he served until 1917, when he was transferred to 
Portland. Here he served in the production and efficiency department until 
1922, when he came to the Palm Olive Company as office manager, and in April, 
1926, was promoted to the position of general manager.

     On June 6, 1922, Mr. Christoph was united in marriage to Miss Mildred 
Grasley, of Detroit, Michigan. He is a stanch republican in his political 
views and is a member of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, A man of sincere 
purpose, consistent conduct and agreeable manner, he is not only highly 
respected by all who know him, but has made many warm friends throughout this 
community.

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