Lorillard Tobacco Company
Historic American tobacco company associated especially with Newport cigarettes and acquired by Reynolds American in 2015.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Lorillard Tobacco Company was a historic American tobacco manufacturer founded in 1760 by Pierre Abraham Lorillard. It became one of the oldest continuously operating tobacco businesses in the United States and, over time, developed a portfolio that included Newport, Old Gold, Kent, True, Satin, Max, Maverick, Salem, Winston, Kool and other cigarette brands. Its most commercially important product was Newport, a menthol cigarette brand that became particularly prominent in the U.S. market and ultimately defined Lorillard's modern corporate identity. The company's history was shaped by repeated changes in ownership and corporate structure. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Lorillard came under the influence of the American Tobacco Company through the Continental Tobacco Company. After the American Tobacco Company was found to be operating in restraint of trade, a 1911 dissolution decree returned Lorillard to independent status. The business later expanded and repositioned its portfolio, notably under Benjamin Lloyd Belt, who emphasized the promotion of Old Gold during the 1920s and 1930s through national radio and entertainment sponsorships. Lorillard's manufacturing footprint also evolved. In 1956 it opened a large cigarette plant in Greensboro, North Carolina, transferring production from facilities in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Richmond, Virginia. The company was purchased by Loews Corporation in 1968 and became part of Loews's tobacco holdings. In 1997, its headquarters moved from New York City to Greensboro. Loews subsequently organized the tobacco assets under the Carolina Group, which became separately traded while Loews retained significant control. Lorillard became an independent publicly traded company in 2008 after separating from Loews. The company operated in an increasingly regulated and legally contested industry. Its former use of asbestos-containing Micronite filters in Kent cigarettes during the 1950s led to extensive litigation and compensation claims. Lorillard was also a defendant in the federal tobacco racketeering case decided under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and in 2010 a Boston jury returned a large verdict in a case alleging that cigarette samples had been distributed to children in public housing projects during the 1950s. In 1997, Lorillard was among the tobacco companies involved in negotiations that led to the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. It also faced regulatory requirements to remove descriptors such as "Light" and "Ultra-Light" that could imply reduced health risks. Lorillard diversified beyond conventional cigarettes in the 2010s. In 2012 it bought blu eCigs, becoming one of the first major tobacco companies to establish a significant electronic-cigarette business. It acquired the British electronic-cigarette company SKYCIG in 2013 and later associated that business with the blu brand. In 2014, Lorillard announced that it would stop testing its products on animals and would use validated alternative methods. Reynolds American agreed in 2014 to acquire Lorillard for approximately $27.4 billion. To address competition concerns, the transaction included the sale of several cigarette brands and blu to Imperial Tobacco for approximately $7.1 billion. The acquisition closed on June 12, 2015. Lorillard as an independent company consequently ceased to exist, while Newport and other retained assets were integrated into Reynolds American, which was subsequently owned by British American Tobacco.
History
Lorillard traces its origins to 1760, when Pierre Abraham Lorillard established the tobacco business that carried his family name. It ultimately became one of the oldest tobacco companies in the United States, although its ownership, legal structure and relationship with larger tobacco groups changed repeatedly. In 1899, the American Tobacco Company organized the Continental Tobacco Company as a New Jersey corporation to acquire controlling interests in a number of smaller tobacco businesses. Lorillard came under the influence of this system, and by 1910 James Buchanan Duke controlled both Lorillard and the American Tobacco Company. Lorillard nevertheless retained its own name. In 1911, following an antitrust case, the U.S. Court of Appeals determined that the American Tobacco Company operated in restraint of trade and issued a dissolution decree. The resulting restructuring returned Lorillard to independence. That year the company also purchased the Murad cigarette brand. A significant commercial redirection occurred after Benjamin Lloyd Belt became president in 1925. Belt prioritized Old Gold over Beech-Nut chewing tobacco and used large-scale entertainment marketing to build the brand. Old Gold sponsored radio programs, including broadcasts associated with Paul Whiteman and his orchestra and, later, Artie Shaw. The company also used a specially leased train to transport Whiteman's group during a 1929 promotional journey connected with a Hollywood film production. Belt remained president until his death in 1937. Lorillard expanded its manufacturing infrastructure in the postwar period. In 1956 it opened a new cigarette plant on East Market Street in Greensboro, North Carolina, shifting cigarette production away from Jersey City and Richmond. The company's Kent Micronite cigarettes, sold between 1952 and 1956, used filters containing crocidolite asbestos manufactured by Hollingsworth & Vose. The filters later became the subject of serious disease claims and litigation involving former employees, consumers and their families. Loews Corporation purchased Lorillard in 1968. The company continued operating as a tobacco subsidiary and maintained manufacturing operations in Greensboro and Louisville, Kentucky. In 1994, chief executive Andrew Tisch testified before Congress during a period of intense scrutiny of the tobacco industry's claims about nicotine and smoking-related disease. In 1997, Lorillard moved its headquarters from New York City to Greensboro. It was also one of four tobacco-industry entities involved in negotiations that culminated in the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement with 46 U.S. states. Loews reorganized its tobacco holdings through the Carolina Group in 2002 and later sold shares in that entity on the New York Stock Exchange. Loews reduced its ownership from a controlling position to a plurality position in 2006. In 2006, Lorillard was among the tobacco companies found liable for racketeering in the federal RICO case involving alleged industry-wide deception and misconduct. The judgment was upheld through subsequent appeals, including Supreme Court proceedings. In 2008, Lorillard separated from Loews and became an independent publicly traded company. Regulatory and civil litigation continued. Federal rules required the company to remove descriptors such as Light, Ultra-Light, Mild and similar terms by June 2010 because they could create a misleading impression that some cigarettes were safer. In December 2010, a Boston jury returned a $151 million verdict in the Marie Evans case, which alleged that Lorillard had distributed free cigarette samples to children in urban housing projects during the 1950s. The case became one of the company's most prominent historical allegations concerning youth exposure to tobacco marketing. During the 2010s Lorillard broadened its activities into electronic cigarettes. It purchased blu eCigs in April 2012 and acquired the British company SKYCIG in October 2013. These moves reflected a wider tobacco-industry effort to establish positions in non-combustible nicotine products. In 2014, following discussions with PETA, Lorillard announced that it would no longer test its products on animals and would rely on validated alternatives. The company's final major corporate transition began in 2014, when Reynolds Tobacco Company agreed to acquire Lorillard for approximately $27.4 billion. Competition-related divestitures transferred Kool, Winston, Maverick, Salem and blu to Imperial Tobacco for approximately $7.1 billion. The Reynolds transaction closed on June 12, 2015. Lorillard ceased to operate as an independent public company, while its retained brands, particularly Newport, became part of Reynolds American and subsequently the British American Tobacco group.
- 2015
Acquired by Reynolds American
[1]The acquisition closed on June 12, 2015, ending Lorillard's independent corporate existence.
- 2012
Expansion into electronic cigarettes
[1]Lorillard acquired blu eCigs, establishing a major electronic-cigarette operation.
- 2008
Becomes an independent public company
[1]Lorillard separated from Loews and became independently publicly traded.
- 1998
Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement
[1]Lorillard was one of the tobacco entities involved in negotiations leading to the settlement with 46 U.S. states.
- 1968
Acquired by Loews
[1]Loews Corporation purchased Lorillard and incorporated it into its tobacco holdings.
- 1956
Greensboro manufacturing plant opens
[1]Lorillard opened a new cigarette factory in Greensboro, North Carolina, consolidating production previously located in New Jersey and Virginia.
- 1911
Return to independent status
[1]An antitrust dissolution decree against American Tobacco forced Lorillard to become independent again; the company also acquired Murad.
- 1899
Continental Tobacco takes a controlling interest
[1]The American Tobacco Company organized Continental Tobacco Company, which obtained control of numerous smaller tobacco companies including Lorillard.
- 1760
Company founded
[1]Pierre Abraham Lorillard founded the tobacco business that became Lorillard Tobacco Company.
Products and positioning
A U.S.-focused tobacco manufacturer whose modern market identity centered on Newport menthol cigarettes, supported by a broader portfolio of combustible cigarette brands and a later expansion into electronic cigarettes.
Menthol cigarettes
Newport
Newport was Lorillard's signature cigarette brand and its most important modern commercial asset. Marketed primarily as a menthol cigarette in the United States, Newport became strongly associated with Lorillard and remained with Reynolds American after the 2015 acquisition.
Cigarettes
Old Gold
Old Gold was a major historic Lorillard cigarette brand. During Benjamin Lloyd Belt's presidency, Lorillard emphasized it over Beech-Nut chewing tobacco and promoted it through nationally distributed radio and entertainment sponsorships during the 1920s and 1930s.
Cigarettes
Kent
Kent was a Lorillard cigarette brand whose early Micronite version used a crocidolite asbestos filter. That product history later generated extensive health-related litigation and compensation claims.
Cigarettes
True
True was one of Lorillard's named cigarette brands and formed part of the company's broader combustible-cigarette portfolio alongside Newport, Old Gold, Kent, Satin and Max.
Electronic cigarettes
blu eCigs
blu eCigs was a privately held electronic-cigarette company acquired by Lorillard in 2012. The acquisition gave Lorillard a substantial position in the emerging electronic-cigarette market and made blu a central part of its non-combustible product strategy.
Controversies
2010
Marie Evans cigarette-sample verdict
A Boston jury returned a $151 million verdict against Lorillard in a case alleging that free cigarette samples had been distributed to children in urban housing projects during the 1950s. The named plaintiff had died of lung cancer before trial.
2006
Federal tobacco racketeering judgment
Lorillard was convicted alongside other major tobacco companies in a federal RICO case concerning alleged industry-wide deception and misconduct related to the marketing and health effects of cigarettes. The judgment survived subsequent appellate review.
1956
Kent Micronite asbestos filters
Kent Micronite cigarettes sold from 1952 to 1956 used crocidolite asbestos in their filters. The product later became associated with cancer claims, lawsuits and payments to affected consumers, workers and families.
Marketing campaigns
- 1938Old Gold sponsors Artie Shaw's Melody and Madness
United States
Lorillard sponsored Artie Shaw's Tuesday-night CBS radio program, extending Old Gold's association with popular music and broadcast entertainment.
Outcome. The program ran from November 1938 through November 1939 and continued the brand's radio-centered promotional strategy.
- 1929Old Gold Presents Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra
United States
Lorillard used Old Gold sponsorship of a weekly CBS radio program featuring Paul Whiteman and his orchestra to promote the brand through mass entertainment media. The broadcasts began in February 1929 and continued into 1930.
Outcome. The campaign demonstrated Lorillard's early use of national radio and celebrity entertainment to build cigarette-brand awareness.
- 1929Old Gold promotional train
United States
Old Gold leased a special eight-coach train to carry Paul Whiteman's entourage from New York toward Hollywood, stopping in sixteen cities as part of a national promotional effort.
Outcome. The tour connected the cigarette brand with a high-profile music and film-related publicity event.
Brand decisions
2014
Agree to Reynolds American acquisitionM&ABackground
The transaction was structured to combine major U.S. tobacco businesses while addressing competition concerns through brand divestitures.
Action taken
Reynolds American agreed to acquire Lorillard for approximately $27.4 billion; Imperial Tobacco was to receive Kool, Winston, Maverick, Salem and blu for approximately $7.1 billion.
Aftermath
The transaction closed in June 2015 and Lorillard ceased to exist as an independent company.
Announced acquisition value. $27.4 billion (2014 announcement)
- Imperial Tobacco — Imperial Tobacco agreed to acquire the divested brands and blu for approximately $7.1 billion as part of the transaction structure.
2012
Acquire blu eCigsM&ABackground
Electronic cigarettes were emerging as a significant alternative nicotine category, and Lorillard sought to diversify beyond combustible cigarettes.
Action taken
Lorillard acquired blu eCigs for $135 million in cash.
Aftermath
The acquisition established Lorillard's electronic-cigarette segment and made blu a strategic asset in the company's portfolio.
Acquisition price. $135 million (2012)
2008
Separate from LoewsStrategyBackground
Loews had owned Lorillard since 1968 and had previously organized its tobacco assets through the Carolina Group.
Action taken
Lorillard completed a separation from Loews and operated as an independent publicly traded tobacco company.
Aftermath
The separation gave Lorillard an independent corporate and capital-markets identity before its later sale to Reynolds American.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/lorillard-tobacco-company · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled