Founder | Theodore Swann |
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The Swann Chemical Company was an American chemical company started by Theodore Swann, described by one historian as "a flamboyant Birmingham mogul and New South industrialist."[1] Swann Chemical first operated a chemical manufacturing plant in Anniston, Alabama where PCBs were first made on an industrial scale after development of a new process under leadership of Theodore Swann.[2] The plant was later bought by Monsanto Industrial Chemicals Co. in 1935.[3][4][5] The plant, just west of Anniston, had around 1,000 employees.[1]
One historian wrote that, "In many ways, the spirit of Swann Chemical became the corporate culture of Monsanto."[1]