35°59′36.77″N 78°54′16.84″W / 35.9935472°N 78.9046778°W
 | |
| Company type | Private (1890–1969) Subsidiary (1969–1994) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Tobacco farming and manufacturing |
| Predecessor |
|
| Founded | January 31, 1890 in Durham, North Carolina |
| Founder | James B. Duke |
| Defunct | December 22, 1994 |
| Fate | Restructuring and sale to American Brands |
| Successor | British American Tobacco |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | George Washington Hill (President, 1925–46) |
| Products | Cigarettes and related tobacco products |
| Brands |
|
| Parent | American Brands, Inc. (1969) |
| Subsidiaries | Lucky Strike (1905–76) |
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter, Goodwin & Company, and Kinney Brothers. The company was one of the original 12 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896. The American Tobacco Company dominated the industry by acquiring the Lucky Strike Company and over 200 other rival firms. Federal Antitrust action begun in 1907 broke the company into several major companies in 1911.[2][3]
The American Tobacco Company restructured itself in 1969, forming a holding company called American Brands, Inc., which operated American Tobacco as a subsidiary. American Brands acquired a variety of non-tobacco businesses during the 1970s and 1980s and sold its tobacco operations to Brown & Williamson in 1994. American Brands subsequently renamed itself "Fortune Brands".
- ^ Richard Elliott. The Early History of Cigarettes in America, Brandstand, Vol 34, Spring 2009.
- ^ Wallace C. Murchison, "Significance of the American Tobacco Company Case." North Carolina Law Review 26 (1947): 139+ online.
- ^ United States v. American Tobacco Co., 221 U.S. 106 (1911).