Chesterfield
Chesterfield is an internationally marketed cigarette brand owned by Altria and produced in the United States by Philip Morris USA.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Chesterfield is a cigarette brand whose name comes from Chesterfield County, Virginia. It was introduced in 1873 by the Drummond Tobacco Company of St. Louis, Missouri. The early product was associated with a blend of Turkish and Virginia tobaccos, reflecting the flavor and sourcing conventions of late-nineteenth-century American cigarettes. Chesterfield subsequently became part of the consolidation of the American tobacco industry. The American Tobacco Company acquired the Drummond Tobacco Company in 1898 and manufactured Chesterfield until 1911. In 1912, Liggett & Myers took control of the brand and moved production to Durham, North Carolina. The brand developed a substantial advertising identity during the first half of the twentieth century. Chesterfield was credited with introducing an additional layer of wrapping around its cigarette packs to help retain moisture. Its advertising often relied on claims about taste, freshness, and social acceptability. A 1926 campaign used the line “Blow some my way” to appeal to women smokers, while later advertising presented Chesterfield as a choice of experienced or professional smokers. During the 1940s and 1950s, the brand was closely associated with mass entertainment through sponsorship of radio and television programs and through celebrity endorsements. Personalities connected with its promotional activity included Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Arthur Godfrey. Programs such as Music That Satisfies, The Chesterfield Hour, Chesterfield Supper Club, The Martin and Lewis Show, and Gunsmoke helped place the brand within the emerging national broadcast culture of the United States. Chesterfield also acquired visibility outside conventional tobacco advertising. Its name appeared in films, novels, television programs, popular music, and sports sponsorships. During the 1970s through the 1990s, the brand sponsored Formula One, motorcycle racing, and the Paris-Dakar Rally. Its racing associations included the Surtees Formula One team, BMS Scuderia Italia, Aprilia's 250cc motorcycle program, Tech3, and the BYRD motorcycle team. The livery used on Aprilia racing and road motorcycles became one of the more recognizable visual expressions of the brand outside cigarette packaging. Philip Morris acquired Chesterfield in 1999; Philip Morris USA operates within Altria Group. The brand has been sold across a wide range of European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, African, Asian, and other international markets. Product configurations vary by jurisdiction because tobacco regulation, packaging rules, taxation, and permitted descriptors differ among countries. In the United Kingdom, Philip Morris introduced Red, Blue, and Menthol variants in 2011. In the United States, non-filter Chesterfield cigarettes were discontinued in 2018, followed by limited testing of filtered Reds, Blues, and Green menthol variants in January 2019. These changes illustrate the brand's adaptation to changing consumer demand and regulatory conditions. Chesterfield remains primarily a combustible tobacco brand with a long historical association with classic American cigarette advertising, entertainment sponsorship, and motorsport branding.
History
Chesterfield began in 1873 as a cigarette brand of the Drummond Tobacco Company in St. Louis, Missouri. Its name referred to Chesterfield County, Virginia, and its original tobacco blend was described as combining Turkish and Virginia tobaccos. The brand entered the market during a period when American tobacco manufacturing was becoming increasingly industrialized and nationally distributed. In 1898, the American Tobacco Company acquired Drummond and assumed responsibility for Chesterfield. American Tobacco continued to manufacture the brand until 1911. The following year, Liggett & Myers acquired Chesterfield and transferred production to Durham, North Carolina. Under Liggett & Myers, the brand became increasingly prominent in national advertising and developed a recognizable identity based on packaging, freshness, flavor, and celebrity association. Chesterfield was associated with the use of an extra wrapping layer in its pack, an innovation intended to help preserve moisture. Advertising became a central part of Chesterfield's history. The 1926 “Blow some my way” campaign sought to address women smokers, demonstrating the industry's use of gendered marketing during the period. Later campaigns used testimonials and authority-based claims, including a 1948 NBC advertisement that presented Chesterfield as preferred by professional smokers. Such messaging reflected the broader conventions of cigarette advertising before modern restrictions on health claims and tobacco promotion. From the 1930s through the 1950s, Chesterfield was a major sponsor of radio and television entertainment. Music That Satisfies ran in the early 1930s, followed by The Chesterfield Hour from 1939 to 1944. The Chesterfield Supper Club, broadcast from 1944 to 1949, featured performers including Perry Como, Jo Stafford, and Peggy Lee. Johnny Mercer also fronted a short-lived Chesterfield Music Shop program. The brand sponsored or co-sponsored The Martin and Lewis Show and was strongly connected with programs such as Gunsmoke. During this period, celebrities including Ronald Reagan, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Perry Como, and Arthur Godfrey appeared in Chesterfield promotional activity. Chesterfield also appeared in the 1950s radio and television ecosystem surrounding Dragnet, including product placement in the 1954 theatrical film. The brand continued to appear in popular culture after the peak of broadcast sponsorship. Rod Serling was frequently shown smoking or promoting Chesterfields in association with The Twilight Zone in the early 1960s. Chesterfield cigarettes were referenced or shown in works including Ian Fleming's Goldfinger, novels by Stephen King, and films such as To Have and Have Not, Breathless, The Great Gatsby, The Blues Brothers, Stranger Than Paradise, Reservoir Dogs, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Man Who Wasn't There. These appearances helped preserve the brand's association with mid-century American life and cinematic noir, although they should be distinguished from formal advertising campaigns. Chesterfield expanded its sponsorship footprint into motorsport. It supported the Surtees Formula One team in 1976 and 1977 and sponsored BMS Scuderia Italia during the 1993 Formula One season. In motorcycle racing, it sponsored Max Biaggi's Aprilia RSV 250 in the 250cc world championship from 1994 through 1996 and served as title sponsor of Tech3's championship-winning 250cc campaign in 2000. The brand was also the principal sponsor of the BYRD, or Belgarda Yamaha Racing Division, motorcycle team at the Paris-Dakar Rally from 1987 to 1994. Yamaha produced motorcycles and color schemes associated with the Chesterfield name, including a 125cc DT variant and a Chesterfield-colored XTZ 750 Super Ténéré in 1989. Philip Morris acquired Chesterfield in 1999. The brand consequently became part of the corporate structure now associated with Altria, with production in the United States handled by Philip Morris USA. International product formats have varied by market. In the United Kingdom, Red, Blue, and Menthol variants were introduced in 2011. In the United States, non-filter cigarettes were discontinued in 2018, and limited testing of filtered Red, Blue, and Green menthol versions began in January 2019. Chesterfield's later history is therefore characterized by continued international distribution, market-specific product variation, and adaptation to regulatory and commercial changes in the cigarette sector.
- 2019
Limited US filtered-product testing
[1]Philip Morris begins limited US testing of Chesterfield Reds, Blues and Green menthol cigarettes.
- 2018
US non-filter line discontinued
[1]Philip Morris discontinues Chesterfield non-filter cigarettes in the United States.
- 2011
UK Red, Blue and Menthol variants
[1]Philip Morris creates Chesterfield Red, Blue and Menthol variants for the United Kingdom market.
- 2000
Tech3 championship sponsorship
[1]Chesterfield serves as title sponsor of Tech3's championship-winning 250cc motorcycle campaign.
- 1999
Philip Morris acquires Chesterfield
[1]Philip Morris acquires the brand, which later sits within Altria's corporate structure.
- 1994
Aprilia motorcycle racing sponsorship begins
[1]Chesterfield sponsors Max Biaggi's Aprilia RSV 250 in the 250cc world championship from 1994 through 1996.
- 1993
BMS Scuderia Italia Formula One sponsorship
[1]Chesterfield sponsors BMS Scuderia Italia for the 1993 Formula One season.
- 1987
BYRD Paris-Dakar sponsorship begins
[1]Chesterfield becomes principal sponsor of the BYRD motorcycle team at the Paris-Dakar Rally, a relationship that continues through 1994.
- 1976
Surtees Formula One sponsorship
[1]Chesterfield sponsors the Surtees Formula One team during the 1976 season.
- 1948
Professional-smoker advertising claim
[1]An NBC advertisement promotes Chesterfield as preferred by professional smokers.
Products and positioning
A heritage cigarette brand positioned through classic American tobacco imagery, claims of taste and freshness, mass-media advertising, and long-running associations with entertainment and motorsport.
Filtered cigarette · 2011
Chesterfield Red
A red-packaged Chesterfield variant associated with the brand's fuller-flavor positioning. A Red configuration was created for the United Kingdom in 2011, and a filtered Red was later included in limited United States testing beginning in January 2019. Exact specifications and availability vary by market.
Filtered cigarette · 2011
Chesterfield Blue
A blue-packaged filtered variant introduced for the United Kingdom in 2011 and later included in limited United States testing. The Blue designation generally represents a lighter taste positioning within the brand's market-specific range, although product composition and descriptors depend on local regulation.
Menthol cigarette · 2011
Chesterfield Menthol
A mentholated Chesterfield variant created for the United Kingdom market in 2011. Menthol offerings have also appeared under market-specific names, including Green in the limited US filtered-product tests reported for 2019. Availability is subject to national tobacco rules and product restrictions.
Non-filter cigarette
Chesterfield non-filter cigarettes
The historic non-filter format formed part of Chesterfield's traditional American cigarette range. Philip Morris discontinued this format in the United States in 2018, although historical or market-specific availability may differ outside the United States.
Cigarette format
Chesterfield Kings
Chesterfield Kings is a long-standing name associated with the brand's king-size cigarette format. The designation appears in historical advertising, literature, music, and popular culture. Specific filtered, non-filter, flavor, and packaging configurations depend on the market in which the product is sold.
Marketing campaigns
- 2000Tech3 250cc championship sponsorship
International
Chesterfield was title sponsor of Tech3's 250cc motorcycle racing campaign.
Outcome. The sponsored campaign won the 250cc championship in 2000.
- 1994Aprilia 250cc motorcycle racing
International
Chesterfield sponsored Max Biaggi's Aprilia RSV 250 in the 250cc world championship from 1994 through 1996. The motorcycle used a distinctive black livery carrying the Chesterfield mark.
Outcome. Aprilia also applied the visual treatment to selected RS road motorcycles in 50cc, 125cc and 250cc versions.
- 1987BYRD Paris-Dakar Rally sponsorship
International
Chesterfield served as the principal sponsor of the BYRD, or Belgarda Yamaha Racing Division, motorcycle team at the Paris-Dakar Rally from 1987 to 1994.
Outcome. The sponsorship extended the brand's motorsport identity into long-distance off-road motorcycle competition.
- 1976Surtees Formula One sponsorship
International
Chesterfield sponsored the Surtees Formula One team in 1976 and 1977, including sponsorship of a second car entered in 1977.
Outcome. The partnership connected the brand with international Formula One competition during the tobacco-sponsorship era.
- 1944Chesterfield Supper Club
United States
A radio entertainment property featuring Perry Como and Jo Stafford, with Peggy Lee also appearing during the program's run.
Outcome. The program continued through 1949 and became one of the best-known broadcast associations in Chesterfield's history.
- 1939The Chesterfield Hour
United States
A sponsored radio program featuring major bands and performers, including Paul Whiteman, Glenn Miller and Fred Waring.
Outcome. The program ran until 1944 and strengthened Chesterfield's association with mainstream American entertainment.
- 1932Music That Satisfies
United States
Chesterfield sponsored the early radio series Music That Satisfies, linking the cigarette brand with popular music and national broadcasting.
Outcome. The program helped establish Chesterfield's long-running use of entertainment sponsorship.
- 1926Blow some my way
United States
A Chesterfield advertising campaign aimed at women smokers, using social and gender-oriented messaging to broaden the brand's appeal.
Outcome. The campaign became a cited example of Chesterfield's early twentieth-century audience segmentation.
Brand decisions
2019
Limited US test of filtered Chesterfield variantsProduct launchBackground
After discontinuing non-filter Chesterfields in the United States, Philip Morris tested replacement filtered configurations.
Action taken
The company began limited testing of Reds, Blues and Green menthol cigarettes in January 2019.
Aftermath
The test represented a market-specific effort to maintain a Chesterfield presence through filtered formats.
2018
Discontinuation of US non-filter cigarettesGeneration changeBackground
The United States Chesterfield range was revised as the company adjusted its product portfolio.
Action taken
Philip Morris discontinued Chesterfield non-filter cigarettes in the United States.
Aftermath
Limited testing of filtered Reds, Blues and Green menthol products followed in January 2019.
2011
Launch of UK Red, Blue and Menthol variantsProduct launchBackground
Philip Morris developed market-specific Chesterfield variants for the United Kingdom.
Action taken
The company introduced Red, Blue and Menthol versions.
Aftermath
The variants became part of the brand's differentiated international product portfolio.
1999
Philip Morris acquires ChesterfieldM&ABackground
Chesterfield had previously passed from Drummond Tobacco to American Tobacco and then Liggett & Myers before being acquired by Philip Morris.
Action taken
Philip Morris purchased the Chesterfield brand and subsequently managed it within the corporate structure now associated with Altria and Philip Morris USA.
Aftermath
The brand continued to be marketed internationally with product formats adapted to individual markets.
Sources1 sources
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