Clement L. Hirsch

Clement L. Hirsch
Hirsch, circa 1950
Born(1914-04-26)April 26, 1914
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
DiedMarch 15, 2000(2000-03-15) (aged 85)
Occupation(s)Businessman, Thoroughbred racing executive, Racehorse owner/breeder
Known forFounder: Kal Kan Foods & Oak Tree Racing Association
Board member ofOak 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
Children6
Honors

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.