John Dorrance
Chemist, business executive
Born: Nov. 11, 1873, in Bristol, Pennsylvania
Died: Sept. 21, 1930, in Cinnaminson, New Jersey
New Jersey Hall of Fame, Class of 2012: Enterprise

Way back in 1897, John Thompson Dorrance had what might be called an “M’m M’m Good” idea. He developed a way to make condensed soup.

Dorrance had earned his bachelor of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a doctorate in philosophy at the University of Göttingen in Germany. He turned down offers to teach at several major American universities to go to work as a chemist for his uncle, who was president of the Camden-based Joseph Campbell Preserve Company.

The company had introduced its first ready-to-eat canned soup (beefsteak tomato) in 1895. Upon joining the company in 1897, Dorrance set up a laboratory to experiment with different formulas for making commercially viable condensed soups, which could be marketed in smaller cans. In less than a year, he mastered the process. The first fruit of his labor was Campbell’s condensed tomato soup.

Dorrance started at the company with a salary of $7.50 per week. By 1914, he had succeeded his uncle as president, a position he would hold until his death in 1930. Even before he became president, Campbell had become a national brand, propelled by its line of condensed soups.

In 1915, with Dorrance at the helm, Campbell made its first acquisition, the Franco-American Food company, a rival maker of condensed soup and canned pasta. In 1922, the firm officially changed its name to the Campbell Soup Company. Other acquisitions followed over the years and Campbell, still based in Camden, became one of America’s best-known food companies.

Upon his passing in 1930, Dorrance was succeeded as company president by his brother, Arthur Dorrance. By then, Campbell’s red-and-white cans of wholesome goodness were American icons, with John Dorrance’s condensed tomato soup still leading the way.