C. W. Post: Founder of Post Consumer Brands

C. W. Post: Founder of Post Consumer Brands

Business Owner · Food & Beverage

Battle Creek

C. W. Post, a former Springfield, Illinois farm-machinery inventor with a plow, harrow and hay-stacker patent, founded the company that became Post Consumer Brands.

About C. W. Post: Founder of Post Consumer Brands

Charles William Post (October 26, 1854 to May 9, 1914) was an American businessman, the founder of what became Post Consumer Brands. He was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of Charles Rollin Post and Caroline Lathrop Post, and grew up in Abraham Lincoln's adopted hometown, where Lincoln served as President during his childhood. After graduating from Springfield's public schools he enrolled at Illinois Industrial University but left after two years without a degree. After a brief stay in Independence, Kansas, Post returned to Springfield and for over a decade worked as a salesman and manufacturer of agricultural machinery, inventing and patenting several farm implements including a plow, a harrow and a hay-stacking machine. In November 1874 he married Ella Letitia Merriweather, with whom he had one daughter, Marjorie. As he grew wealthier and spent more time away from Ella, who was often ill, their relationship waned, and in 1904, against her wishes, he separated from her and married his second wife, Leila Young, his 27-year-old secretary. Sources: English Wikipedia (C. W. Post, accessed September 2026).

Basic Information

Founder, Postum Cereal Company (Post Consumer Brands) (1854-1914)

Company Details

Post Consumer Brands

Breakfast Cereal, Packaged Food