title: George A. Hormel
text: # George A. Hormel
  
  George Albert Hormel (December 4, 1860 – June 5, 1946) was an American entrepreneur, he was the founder of Hormel Foods Corporation (then known as George A. Hormel & Co.) in 1891. His ownership stake in the company made him one of the wealthiest Americans during his lifetime.
  
  ## Early life
  
  Hormel was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1860 to German immigrant John George Hormel, a leather tanner, and Susannah "Susan" Hormel (née Decker), and later settled in Austin, Minnesota. At the age of twelve, he began working in a Chicago packinghouse. Hormel married Lilian Belle Gleason in 1892.
  
  ## Hormel Foods Corporation
  
  He established his meat packing company in 1891 and established a food company that continues to thrive today.
  
  He remained head of the company until 1929, when he passed it to his son Jay Catherwood Hormel.
  
  ## Death and legacy
  
  He died on June 5, 1946, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 85. He is buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, Minnesota.
  
  His great-grandson Smokey Hormel is a noted guitarist.
  
  