Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly
Colonel Eli Lilly in 1885
Born
July 8, 1838(1838-07-08)
Baltimore, Maryland
Died
June 6, 1898 (aged 59)
Indianapolis, Indiana
Cause of
death
Cancer
Resting place
Crown Hill Cemetery
Indianapolis, Indiana
Nationality
American
Education
Pharmacology
Alma mater
Asbury College
Occupation
Pharmaceutical Chemist
Soldier
Industrialist
Home town
Indianapolis, Indiana
Known for
Eli Lilly & co.
Philanthropy
Title
Colonel
Political party Republican
Religious
beliefs
Methodist
Spouse(s)
Emily Lemen (1860–1866)
Maria Cynthia Sloan
(1869–1898)
Children
Josiah K. Lilly, Sr.
Parents
Esther & Gustavus Lilly
Relatives
Eli Lilly (Grandson)
Josiah K. Lilly, Jr. (Grandson)
Signature
Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was an
American soldier, pharmaceutical chemist,
industrialist, entrepreneur, and founder of
the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical
corporation. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army
during the American Civil War; he recruited
a company of men to serve with him in an ar-
tillery battery, was later promoted to colonel,
and was given command of a cavalry unit. He
was captured near the end of the war and
held as a prisoner of war until its conclusion.
After the war, he attempted to run a planta-
tion in Mississippi, but failed and returned to
his pharmacy profession after the death of
his wife. Lilly remarried and worked in sever-
al pharmacies with partners before opening
his own business in 1876 with plans to manu-
facture drugs and market them wholesale to
pharmacies.
His company was successful and he soon
became wealthy after making numerous ad-
vances in medicinal drug manufacturing. Two
of the early advances he pioneered were cre-
ating gelatin capsules to hold medicine and
fruit flavoring for liquid medicines. Eli Lilly &
Company was one of the first pharmaceutical
firms of its kind; it staffed a dedicated re-
search department
and put
in
place
numerous quality-assurance measures.
Using his wealth, Lilly engaged in numer-
ous philanthropic pursuits. He turned over
the management of the company t