Armour and Company
A historic American meat-packing and consumer-products company whose former brands remain divided among several owners.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Armour and Company was a major American meat-packing and food-processing enterprise founded in 1863. Its roots lay in Milwaukee, where Philip Danforth Armour joined John Plankinton in the operation known as Plankinton, Armour and Company. The business expanded through branches in Chicago and Kansas City, an export office in New York, and a growing network of slaughtering, processing, storage, and distribution facilities. After the Armour and Plankinton partnership ended in 1884, the Armour family’s business became increasingly associated with Chicago and the Union Stock Yards. By the late nineteenth century, Armour was one of the dominant firms in the concentrated American meat-packing industry. The company processed beef, pork, and other animal products and used slaughterhouse by-products to produce a broad range of goods, including glue, industrial oils, fertilizer, brushes, buttons, oleomargarine, and pharmaceutical materials. This integrated model allowed Armour to extract commercial value from nearly every part of the animal and helped make large-scale packing a central feature of the industrial economies of Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, and other Midwestern cities. Armour’s growth also exposed the company to serious labor, public-health, and regulatory controversies. Its early operations developed before modern workplace safety rules, systematic meat inspection, and strong collective-bargaining institutions. Workers faced low pay, dangerous conditions, and opposition to union organizing. The company used strikebreakers during labor disputes in 1904 and 1921, including African American workers and recent immigrants, contributing to longstanding racial and industrial tensions. Unionization became more established in the late 1930s as the Congress of Industrial Organizations helped organize an interracial meat-packing workforce. The company supplied the United States military during the Spanish-American War, but an inspection later found that hundreds of cases of its beef had spoiled and were associated with illness among soldiers. In the early twentieth century, Armour also became connected with the career of Dale Carnegie, who worked as a highly successful salesman in the South Omaha territory before becoming a prominent author and speaker. Financial pressure in the early 1920s led the Armour family to sell majority control to financier Frederick H. Prince. The company remained one of the largest American businesses during the Great Depression and World War II, when demand for food and military supplies supported its operations. At its peak, Armour employed nearly 50,000 people and maintained facilities across the United States. Armour diversified beyond meat. Its by-product and consumer-products activities produced soap, and in 1948 the company introduced Dial, an antibacterial deodorant soap. Dial became one of the best-selling deodorant soaps in the United States during the 1950s, supported by memorable advertising and later extensions into deodorants and shaving products. The consumer-products operation was incorporated as Armour-Dial in 1967. In 1970, Greyhound Corporation acquired Armour after an earlier takeover attempt by General Host Corporation. Greyhound moved Armour’s headquarters from Chicago to Phoenix in 1971. Continuing losses, restructuring, and labor disputes weakened the meat business. In 1983, Greyhound sold Armour Food Company to ConAgra while retaining the Armour Star canned-meat business under licensing arrangements. Armour’s pharmaceutical activities were separately sold and reorganized, and the consumer-products operations were combined with Purex-related assets to form The Dial Corporation. The original corporate structure no longer exists as an independent operating company. Its former businesses and trademarks are now distributed among different owners: Smithfield Foods markets refrigerated Armour meats, Conagra Brands markets Armour Star shelf-stable meat products, Forest Laboratories acquired rights associated with Armour Thyroid, other pharmaceutical assets became associated with CSL Behring, and Henkel acquired the Dial soap business. Armour therefore survives primarily as a collection of food, pharmaceutical, and personal-care brands rather than as a single corporation.
History
Armour and Company emerged from the nineteenth-century expansion of industrial meat packing in the American Midwest. In 1863, Philip Danforth Armour partnered with Milwaukee businessman John Plankinton in Plankinton, Armour and Company. The partners enlarged the Milwaukee operation and established branches in Chicago and Kansas City, together with an export house in New York. Their partnership ended in 1884, after which the Milwaukee business eventually became associated with Cudahy Packing Company, while the Armour name became strongly identified with the company’s Chicago operations. Chicago’s Union Stock Yards provided Armour with access to livestock, rail transportation, processing infrastructure, and national distribution. By 1880, the company had become one of Chicago’s most important businesses and one of the leading firms in American meat packing. Its operations were vertically integrated: meat was processed for domestic and export markets, while by-products were converted into commercial materials such as glue, oils, fertilizer, brushes, buttons, oleomargarine, and pharmaceutical ingredients. Armour’s Omaha facilities also helped establish that city as a major packing center. The company’s nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century growth occurred before comprehensive labor and food-safety regulation. Working conditions were hazardous, wages were frequently low, and management opposed union organizing. Armour used strikebreakers during disputes in 1904 and 1921, including African American workers and newer immigrants. The industrial conflict reflected wider struggles over race, migration, and labor power in the meat-packing industry. By the late 1930s, the meatpacking union movement had achieved broader success, including the creation of interracial industrial organization through the CIO. Armour’s military supply contracts also brought public scrutiny. During the Spanish-American War, the company supplied substantial quantities of beef to the U.S. Army. A later inspection reported that 751 cases were spoiled and connected the meat to illness among soldiers. The episode contributed to public concern about meat inspection and helped reinforce pressure for stronger federal oversight. In the early 1900s, Dale Carnegie worked as a salesman in Armour’s South Omaha territory and became one of its most successful sales representatives before beginning his later career as an author and lecturer. Financial difficulties in the early 1920s led the Armour family to sell majority control to financier Frederick H. Prince. Despite that change, Armour retained its position among the largest American corporations through the Great Depression and the wartime economy. The company expanded geographically and at its height employed just under 50,000 people. Its business remained centered on meat but increasingly included consumer goods and pharmaceuticals made possible by its processing expertise and by-product streams. The most successful non-meat product was Dial soap. Armour had produced soap for years, but in 1948 it developed a deodorant formulation using the germicidal compound AT-7. The Dial name referred to the product’s claimed all-day protection from odor. Armour introduced it with a full-page Chicago Tribune advertisement printed with scented ink, followed by extensive magazine, radio, and television promotion. Dial became the leading deodorant soap in the United States during the 1950s. Its advertising slogan, introduced in 1953, became closely associated with the brand. Deodorants and shaving creams were added during the 1960s, and the consumer-products business was organized as Armour-Dial in 1967. In 1970, Greyhound Corporation acquired Armour after General Host had attempted a hostile takeover the previous year. Greyhound moved Armour’s headquarters to Phoenix in 1971. The parent company’s diversification strategy and Armour’s labor and profitability problems produced repeated restructurings. After meatpacking strikes in the early 1980s, Greyhound closed 29 facilities and sold Armour Food Company to ConAgra in 1983. Armour Star canned meats remained connected to the Greyhound-controlled consumer-products operations through licensing arrangements. The pharmaceutical business followed a separate ownership path. Revlon acquired Armour Pharmaceuticals in 1978 and later sold its drug unit to Rorer in 1985. Forest Laboratories subsequently acquired rights to Armour Thyroid in 1991, while other Armour pharmaceutical assets became part of CSL Behring. The Factorate blood product became the subject of severe allegations and legal proceedings after reports linked it to HIV infections among hemophiliacs during the 1980s. In 1985, Greyhound combined Armour-Dial with household-products assets acquired from Purex Industries. The resulting Dial Corporation was later separated from Greyhound’s service businesses, with Greyhound renamed Viad and the consumer-products company continuing under the Dial name. Henkel acquired Dial in 2004. Dial’s food business, including Armour Star, was sold to Pinnacle Foods in 2006; Conagra later acquired Pinnacle Foods in 2018. Separately, ConAgra sold most refrigerated Armour meat operations to Smithfield Foods in 2006. The historical Armour corporation is therefore defunct, but its name continues through distinct food and pharmaceutical brand businesses owned by different companies.
- 2006
Armour food brands separated by product category
[1]Smithfield Foods acquired most refrigerated Armour meats, while Armour Star shelf-stable products remained with the ConAgra-related food business.
- 2004
Henkel acquired Dial
[1]Henkel purchased The Dial Corporation and assumed ownership of the Dial personal-care business.
- 1983
Armour Food Company sold to ConAgra
[1]Greyhound sold the principal Armour food business to ConAgra after plant closures and labor conflict.
- 1971
Headquarters relocated to Phoenix
[1]Greyhound moved Armour’s headquarters from Chicago to Phoenix, Arizona.
- 1970
Acquired by Greyhound
[1]Greyhound Corporation acquired Armour after a prior takeover attempt by General Host.
- 1967
Armour-Dial incorporated
[1]The growing consumer-products operation was organized as Armour-Dial, reflecting the importance of the Dial brand.
- 1948
Dial soap launched
[1]Armour introduced Dial, a deodorant soap that became its most successful consumer-products innovation.
- 1920
Family control transferred to Frederick H. Prince
[1]Financial difficulties led the Armour family to sell its majority interest to financier Frederick H. Prince during the early 1920s.
- 1898
Army beef controversy
[1]An inspection of beef supplied during the Spanish-American War found hundreds of spoiled cases and prompted public-health concern.
- 1884
Armour-Plankinton partnership dissolved
[1]The partnership between Armour and Plankinton ended, beginning a clearer separation between the Milwaukee operation and the Armour business associated with Chicago.
Products and positioning
Mass-market food, household, and pharmaceutical products built on vertically integrated meat-processing operations
Refrigerated meat
Armour Meats
The Armour name historically covered fresh and processed meat products made from beef, pork, and other animal proteins. The refrigerated Armour food brand is now associated with Smithfield Foods following the divestiture of most of ConAgra’s refrigerated meat operations in 2006.
Canned and shelf-stable meat
Armour Star
Armour Star is the continuation of Armour’s shelf-stable canned-meat business. Products in this line include canned meats and related pantry products. The brand passed through the Dial and Pinnacle Foods businesses and is now associated with Conagra Brands following Conagra’s acquisition of Pinnacle Foods.
Personal care · 1948
Dial
Introduced in 1948, Dial was an antibacterial deodorant soap developed from Armour’s soap-making and animal by-product operations. It became a leading deodorant soap in the United States during the 1950s and later expanded into deodorants, shaving creams, and other personal-care products. Henkel acquired the brand in 2004.
Pharmaceutical
Armour Thyroid
Armour Thyroid is a desiccated thyroid extract product associated with Armour’s pharmaceutical business. Rights to the product were acquired by Forest Laboratories from Rhône-Poulenc Rorer in 1991; ownership and commercialization arrangements have subsequently involved other pharmaceutical entities.
Blood-clotting factor
Factorate
Factorate was an Armour pharmaceutical product used in hemophilia treatment. During the 1980s it became the focus of reports and litigation alleging that contaminated product transmitted HIV to thousands of hemophiliacs and that safety information had been mishandled.
Controversies
1980
Factorate HIV contamination controversy
Armour’s Factorate blood product was reported to have transmitted HIV to thousands of hemophiliacs during the 1980s. Lawsuits, governmental inquiries, and criminal allegations followed, including claims that evidence about product defects had been suppressed. The exact legal and historical findings varied across jurisdictions.
1898
Spoiled beef supplied to the U.S. Army
An army inspection found that 751 cases of beef supplied by Armour during the Spanish-American War were rotten. The episode was associated with food poisoning among soldiers and contributed to wider concern over military food supply and meat inspection.
Marketing campaigns
- 1953Dial deodorant-soap slogan campaign
United States
Dial expanded its magazine, radio, and television advertising around the slogan “Aren’t you glad you use Dial? Don’t you wish everybody did?”
Outcome. The slogan became strongly associated with Dial and supported the brand’s mass-market growth.
- 1948Dial scented-ink launch advertisement
United States
Armour introduced Dial with a full-page advertisement in the Chicago Tribune printed using scented ink, drawing attention to the soap’s odor-control positioning.
Outcome. Dial became one of the leading deodorant soaps in the United States during the 1950s.
Brand decisions
2018
Conagra acquisition of Pinnacle FoodsM&ABackground
Pinnacle Foods had acquired Dial’s food business, including Armour Star, in 2006.
Action taken
Conagra Brands acquired Pinnacle Foods in a transaction reported at approximately $10.9 billion.
Aftermath
Conagra became the owner of the Armour Star shelf-stable meat business.
Reported transaction value. $10.9 billion (2018 acquisition)
2004
Sale of The Dial Corporation to HenkelM&ABackground
The Dial consumer-products company had been separated from Greyhound’s service businesses and was seeking a strategic owner.
Action taken
Henkel acquired The Dial Corporation, including the Dial personal-care brand.
Aftermath
Dial became part of Henkel’s international personal-care portfolio.
1983
Divestiture of Armour Food CompanyStrategyBackground
Labor disputes, declining profitability, and Greyhound’s broader effort to sell underperforming subsidiaries placed pressure on the meat business.
Action taken
Greyhound closed 29 facilities and sold Armour Food Company to ConAgra while retaining the Armour Star canned-meat business.
Aftermath
The historical meat-packing company was broken into separately owned food, pharmaceutical, and consumer-products businesses.
1970
Acceptance of Greyhound acquisitionM&ABackground
Armour faced ownership pressure after General Host made a hostile takeover attempt in 1969.
Action taken
Greyhound Corporation acquired Armour and integrated it into a diversified corporate group.
Aftermath
Greyhound relocated the headquarters and later restructured or divested major Armour businesses.
1948
Launch of Dial deodorant soapProduct launchBackground
Armour had long manufactured soap as part of its broader use of meat-packing by-products and sought higher-value consumer applications.
Action taken
The company developed a deodorant soap using the germicidal compound AT-7 and marketed it under the Dial name.
Aftermath
Dial became a major consumer brand and led to expansion into deodorants and shaving products.
Recent events
- 2018
Conagra acquired Pinnacle Foods[1]
M&A
Conagra Brands acquired Pinnacle Foods, consolidating ownership of the business that had previously purchased Dial’s food operations, including Armour Star.
- 2006
ConAgra sold most refrigerated Armour meats to Smithfield[1]
M&A
ConAgra divested most of its refrigerated meat operations, including the Armour brand, to Smithfield Foods; Armour Star canned meats remained with the ConAgra-related business.
- 2004
Dial acquired by Henkel[1]
M&A
Henkel acquired The Dial Corporation, bringing the Dial personal-care brand into its global consumer-products portfolio.
- 1983
Armour Food Company sold to ConAgra[1]
M&A · Bankruptcy
Following labor conflict and the closure of numerous facilities, Greyhound sold Armour Food Company to ConAgra while retaining the Armour Star canned-meat business.
- 1978
Armour pharmaceutical business sold to Revlon[1]
M&A
Greyhound divested Armour Pharmaceuticals to Revlon as part of its broader portfolio restructuring.
- 1971
Armour headquarters moved from Chicago to Phoenix[1]
Other
Greyhound relocated Armour’s headquarters to a newly constructed facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
- 1970
Greyhound acquired Armour and Company[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Chicago-based Greyhound Corporation completed its acquisition of Armour after a previous takeover attempt by General Host Corporation.
- 1948
Armour introduced Dial deodorant soap[1]
Product launch · Campaign
The company launched Dial, a deodorant soap formulated with an antibacterial agent and promoted through an unusually prominent advertising campaign.
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