Clement L. Hirsch | |
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Born | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | April 26, 1914
Died | March 15, 2000 Newport Beach, California, United States | (aged 85)
Occupation(s) | Businessman, Thoroughbred racing executive, Racehorse owner/breeder |
Known for | Founder: Kal Kan Foods & Oak Tree Racing Association |
Board member of | Oak Tree Racing Association Del Mar Thoroughbred Club California Thoroughbred Breeders Association World Affairs Councils of America Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute Chapman University (Life Trustee) Bank of Los Angeles |
Spouse(s) | 1) Maxine 2) Edith Mack Hirsch 3) Claudia H. Mirken 4) Lynn Booth |
Children | 6 |
Honors |
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Clement Lang Hirsch (April 26, 1914 – March 15, 2000) was an American businessman and a prominent Thoroughbred racehorse owner who co-founded Oak Tree Racing Association.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri to a very successful family of retail merchants, Clement Hirsch moved to California as a young man. During World War II he served with the United States Marine Corps and was part of the Guadalcanal Campaign.
In 1936, Clement Hirsch founded the Dog Town Packing Company in Vernon, California which became a highly successful pet food producer he later renamed Kal Kan Foods, Inc. In 1968, Mars, Incorporated acquired the company and today it forms part of their Pedigree Petfoods division. He also was the founder of Stagg Foods of Costa Mesa which he built into the a major producer of canned chili. He sold Stagg Foods in 1996 to Hormel Foods.
In 1963 Clement Hirsch and his second wife Edith Mack Hirsch were divorced. She remarried to actor Desi Arnaz.[1] Married four times, Clement Hirsch had six children from his marriages.