Advanced Search Fewer Search Options

Topics

African Americans
Agriculture
Architecture
Arts
Business and Industry
Cities and Towns
Crime and Punishment
Education
Environment
Health and Medicine
Immigration
Labor
Native Americans
Politics
Religion and Belief
Science and Technology
Sports and Recreation
Transportation
War and Conflict
Women

Category

Event
Group
Person
Place
Structure
Thing

Era

Before European Contact: Pre-1585
Civil War and Reconstruction: 1850-1877
Colonization: 1585-1763
Development of Industrial United States: 1870-1920
Expansion and Reform: 1792-1861
Great Depression and World War II: 1920-1945
Post-World War II United States: 1945-1989
Revolution and a New Nation: 1754-1800
United States in a New Global Age: 1980-Present
banner_logo
MNHS
MNopedia
Index

Pillsbury, Charles Alfred (1842–1899)

Pillsbury, Charles Alfred (1842–1899)

Creator:
Pillsbury-related, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, reprint, unknown location
Portrait of Charles Alfred Pillsbury, c.1880.

Charles Alfred Pillsbury was one of Minnesota's most prominent millers. His Minneapolis company, Charles A. Pillsbury and Co., was among the largest milling firms in the world during the last decades of the nineteenth century.

Charles was born into modest circumstances in Warner, New Hampshire, on December 3, 1842. He was the son of George Alfred Pillsbury, a shopkeeper. Charles attended public school in Warner and Concord, New Hampshire, before completing a year of college prep at New Hampshire's New London Academy. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1863.

After finishing his formal education, Charles moved to Montreal, Quebec, where he became a clerk for Buck, Robinson and Co., a produce commission company. Charles bought a share in the business within three years, but sold it and gave up his position in 1869 to join his uncle, John Sargent Pillsbury, in Minneapolis. With John's encouragement, Charles and George pooled $10,000 of their money and bought one third of a struggling local flour milling business. The purchase was viewed as a bad move at the time, since flour milling was neither stable nor lucrative and the Pillsburys had no milling experience. But under Charles's management, the business grew rapidly and posted a considerable profit within three years. It also received a new name: Charles A. Pillsbury and Co.

As general manager, Charles brought new technology into his mills including the middlings purifier and steel rollers. These advances revolutionized the flour-making process and made flour produced in Minneapolis popular internationally. He also commissioned the first architect-designed mill, the Pillsbury A. It was the largest mill in the world by 1882, shortly after its opening, and it still stands on the Mississippi riverfront.

Charles was progressive in his business practices, as well. He started one of the nation's first profit-sharing plans for company employees in 1883, supported the development of local cooper's cooperatives, and invested in measures that led to greater electrification of Minneapolis and its streetcar system.

As his flour milling business prospered, Charles diversified his financial interests. He invested in grain elevators, banking, railroads, lumbering, the Northwestern Knitting Company (later Munsingwear), and land on the Mesabi Range in Northern Minnesota. He also donated generously to philanthropic causes such as the Minneapolis Maternity Hospital and the Hinckley Fire relief effort of 1894–1895.

Charles served as head of Charles A. Pillsbury and Co. until it was sold to an English business group in 1889. Even then, he remained heavily involved in the company, acting as general manager until his death on September 17, 1899, of heart trouble. Charles was survived by his wife Mary and twin sons, Charles Stinson and John Sargent. Pillsbury Settlement House in Minneapolis was founded in his memory.
Cite
Huber, Molly. "Pillsbury, Charles Alfred (1842–1899)." MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/person/pillsbury-charles-alfred-1842-1899
Correct
Print This Page
© Minnesota Historical Society  80x15  Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported
First Published: May 10, 2011
Last Modified: April 11, 2025

Bibliography

Anderson, Marcia. "Munsingwear: Underwear for America." Minnesota History 50, no. 4 (Winter 1986): 152–161.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/50/v50i04p152-161.pdf

"Answers Death's Summons." Minneapolis Journal, September 18, 1899.

"C. A. Pillsbury Dies Suddenly." Minneapolis Times, September 18, 1899.

"Charles Alfred Pillsbury Dead." Minneapolis Tribune, September 18, 1899.

Holman, Mary Lovering. Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury. 2 vols. Concord, NH: Rumford Press, 1938.

Leikin, Steve. "The Cooperative Coopers of Minneapolis." Minnesota History 57, no. 8 (Winter 2001-02): 386–405.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/57/v57i08p386-405.pdf

Malone, Dumas, ed. "Pillsbury, Charles Alfred." Dictionary of American Biography. vol. 7. 8th ed., New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 604–605.

Powell, William J. Pillsbury's Best: A Company History from 1869. Minneapolis, MN: The Pillsbury Company, 1985.

Solberg, Winton U. "Martha G. Ripley: Pioneer Doctor and Social Reformer." Minnesota History 39, no. 1 (Spring 1964): 1–17.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/39/v39i01p001-017.pdf

Related Resources

Primary

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 4: Amended articles of incorporation of the Pillsbury and Hurlburt Elevator Company, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 4: Land deed showing Charles bought land on Lake Minnetonka in 1879 for $100, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 6: Amendment to articles of incorporation of Minneapolis and Northern Elevator Company, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 6: Deed for lands in the Mesabi Iron district dated February 15, 1897, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 6: Menu for complimentary dinner given by Charles to the Millers and Grain Dealers of Minneapolis to celebrate the arrival of Dollar Wheat. Held at the Minneapolis Club, August 24, 1897.

Knute Nelson Papers, 1861–1924
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00578.xml
Description: Mention of Charles in papers of Knute Nelson, governor of Minnesota.

Secondary

Bray, Martha C. "The Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences." Minnesota History 39, no. 3 (Fall 1964): 111–122.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/39/v39i03p111-122.pdf

Burnley, James. Millionaires and Kings of Enterprise. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1901.

Chrislock, Carl H. "A Cycle in the History of Minnesota Republicanism." Minnesota History 39, no. 3 (Fall 1964): 93–110.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/39/v39i03p093-110.pdf

Christison, Muriel. "LeRoy S. Buffington and the Minneapolis Boom of the 1880s." Minnesota History 23, no. 3 (September 1942): 219–232.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/23/v23i03p219-232.pdf

Engelbourg, Saul. Power and Morality: American Business Ethics, 1840–1914. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980.

Kane, Lucile M. The Falls of St. Anthony: The Waterfall that Built Minneapolis. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1987.

Kolko, Gabriel. Railroads and Regulation, 1877–1916. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.

Kreuter, Kent and Gretchen Kreuter. "The Presidency or Nothing: Cushman K. Davis and the Campaign of 1896." Minnesota History 41, no. 7 (Fall 1969): 301–316.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i07p301-316.pdf

McGinnis, Karin. "Minnesota Letterheads: The Evolution of Business Style." Minnesota History 61, no. 4 (Winter 2008-09): 132–147.

Northwestern National Bank of Minneapolis: The First 75 Years. Minneapolis: Northwestern National Bank, 1947.

Pennefeather, Shannon, ed. Mill City: A Visual History of the Minneapolis Mill District. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003.

Pillsbury, Philip W. The Pioneering Pillsburys. New York: Newcomen Society, 1950.

Shutter, Marion D. and J.S. McLain, eds. Progressive Men of Minnesota: biographical sketches and portraits of the leaders in business, politics, and the professions; together with an historical and descriptive sketch of the state. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Journal, 1897.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lhbum&fileName=19129//lhbum19129.db&recNum=0&itemLink=D?lhbumbib:1:./temp/~ammem_akr3::&linkText=0

Sturdevant, Lori, with George S. Pillsbury. The Pillsburys of Minnesota. Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 2011.

Web

Mill City Museum.
http://www.mnhs.org/millcity

Minnesota Historical Society, Collections. The Ferrell Collection.
http://www.mnhs.org/collections/museum/ferrell/ferrell.htm

Related Images

Pillsbury-related, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, reprint, unknown location
Portrait of Charles Alfred Pillsbury, c.1880.
Charles Alfred Pillsbury
Charles Alfred Pillsbury in his office, c.1883, taken from Northwestern Miller, vol. 37: 77.
Calling card
Tradesman’s card with advertising for Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co., c.1890.
Charles Alfred Pillsbury and Mary Ann Stinson Pillsbury (Mrs. Charles A.)
Charles Alfred Pillsbury and Mary Ann Stinson Pillsbury, c.1895.
Pin back
Advertising for the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co., c.1900.
Pillsbury-related, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, reprint, unknown location

Pillsbury-related, Charles Alfred Pillsbury, reprint

Portrait of Charles Alfred Pillsbury, c.1880.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Charles Alfred Pillsbury

Charles Alfred Pillsbury

Charles Alfred Pillsbury in his office, c.1883, taken from Northwestern Miller, vol. 37: 77.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Calling card

Calling card

Tradesman’s card with advertising for Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co., c.1890.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Charles Alfred Pillsbury and Mary Ann Stinson Pillsbury (Mrs. Charles A.)

Charles Alfred Pillsbury and Mary Ann Stinson Pillsbury (Mrs. Charles A.)

Charles Alfred Pillsbury and Mary Ann Stinson Pillsbury, c.1895.

Public domain

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Pin back

Pin back

Advertising for the Pillsbury-Washburn Flour Mills Co., c.1900.
© Minnesota Historical Society    

All rights reserved

Holding Location

Minnesota Historical Society

Articles

More Information

Related Articles

Turning Point

In 1869, Charles Alfred Pillsbury buys a share in a Minneapolis flour mill. He is involved with the milling business for the rest of his life.

Chronology

1842
Charles Alfred Pillsbury is born on December 3 in Warner, New Hampshire.
1863
He graduates from Dartmouth College.
1869
Pillsbury joins his uncle in Minneapolis and buys one third of a struggling flour milling business.
1883
He starts one of the nation’s first profit-sharing plans for company employees.
1889
Charles A. Pillsbury and Co. is sold to an English business group.
1899
Pillsbury dies on September 17 of heart trouble.

Bibliography

Anderson, Marcia. "Munsingwear: Underwear for America." Minnesota History 50, no. 4 (Winter 1986): 152–161.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/50/v50i04p152-161.pdf

"Answers Death's Summons." Minneapolis Journal, September 18, 1899.

"C. A. Pillsbury Dies Suddenly." Minneapolis Times, September 18, 1899.

"Charles Alfred Pillsbury Dead." Minneapolis Tribune, September 18, 1899.

Holman, Mary Lovering. Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury. 2 vols. Concord, NH: Rumford Press, 1938.

Leikin, Steve. "The Cooperative Coopers of Minneapolis." Minnesota History 57, no. 8 (Winter 2001-02): 386–405.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/57/v57i08p386-405.pdf

Malone, Dumas, ed. "Pillsbury, Charles Alfred." Dictionary of American Biography. vol. 7. 8th ed., New York: Charles Scribner and Sons, 604–605.

Powell, William J. Pillsbury's Best: A Company History from 1869. Minneapolis, MN: The Pillsbury Company, 1985.

Solberg, Winton U. "Martha G. Ripley: Pioneer Doctor and Social Reformer." Minnesota History 39, no. 1 (Spring 1964): 1–17.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/39/v39i01p001-017.pdf

Related Resources

Primary

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 4: Amended articles of incorporation of the Pillsbury and Hurlburt Elevator Company, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 4: Land deed showing Charles bought land on Lake Minnetonka in 1879 for $100, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 6: Amendment to articles of incorporation of Minneapolis and Northern Elevator Company, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers, 1833–1934
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 6: Deed for lands in the Mesabi Iron district dated February 15, 1897, signed by Charles.

A/.P642j
John S. Pillsbury and Family Papers
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
Description: Folder 6: Menu for complimentary dinner given by Charles to the Millers and Grain Dealers of Minneapolis to celebrate the arrival of Dollar Wheat. Held at the Minneapolis Club, August 24, 1897.

Knute Nelson Papers, 1861–1924
Manuscript Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00578.xml
Description: Mention of Charles in papers of Knute Nelson, governor of Minnesota.

Secondary

Bray, Martha C. "The Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences." Minnesota History 39, no. 3 (Fall 1964): 111–122.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/39/v39i03p111-122.pdf

Burnley, James. Millionaires and Kings of Enterprise. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1901.

Chrislock, Carl H. "A Cycle in the History of Minnesota Republicanism." Minnesota History 39, no. 3 (Fall 1964): 93–110.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/39/v39i03p093-110.pdf

Christison, Muriel. "LeRoy S. Buffington and the Minneapolis Boom of the 1880s." Minnesota History 23, no. 3 (September 1942): 219–232.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/23/v23i03p219-232.pdf

Engelbourg, Saul. Power and Morality: American Business Ethics, 1840–1914. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1980.

Kane, Lucile M. The Falls of St. Anthony: The Waterfall that Built Minneapolis. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1987.

Kolko, Gabriel. Railroads and Regulation, 1877–1916. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.

Kreuter, Kent and Gretchen Kreuter. "The Presidency or Nothing: Cushman K. Davis and the Campaign of 1896." Minnesota History 41, no. 7 (Fall 1969): 301–316.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/41/v41i07p301-316.pdf

McGinnis, Karin. "Minnesota Letterheads: The Evolution of Business Style." Minnesota History 61, no. 4 (Winter 2008-09): 132–147.

Northwestern National Bank of Minneapolis: The First 75 Years. Minneapolis: Northwestern National Bank, 1947.

Pennefeather, Shannon, ed. Mill City: A Visual History of the Minneapolis Mill District. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2003.

Pillsbury, Philip W. The Pioneering Pillsburys. New York: Newcomen Society, 1950.

Shutter, Marion D. and J.S. McLain, eds. Progressive Men of Minnesota: biographical sketches and portraits of the leaders in business, politics, and the professions; together with an historical and descriptive sketch of the state. Minneapolis: Minneapolis Journal, 1897.
http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=lhbum&fileName=19129//lhbum19129.db&recNum=0&itemLink=D?lhbumbib:1:./temp/~ammem_akr3::&linkText=0

Sturdevant, Lori, with George S. Pillsbury. The Pillsburys of Minnesota. Minneapolis: Nodin Press, 2011.

Web

Mill City Museum.
http://www.mnhs.org/millcity

Minnesota Historical Society, Collections. The Ferrell Collection.
http://www.mnhs.org/collections/museum/ferrell/ferrell.htm