James Dole facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Dole
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Circa 1927
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| Born |
James Drummond Dole
September 27, 1877 |
| Died | May 20, 1958 (aged 80) Honolulu, Hawaii, US
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| Education | Roxbury Latin School |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Spouse(s) | Belle Dickey |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Charles Fletcher Dole Frances Drummond |
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James D. Dole Homestead
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| Area | 8.58 acres (3.47 ha) |
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| Built | 1901 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001024 |
| Added to NRHP | June 23, 1978 |
James Drummond Dole (born September 27, 1877 – died May 20, 1958) was an American businessman. He was often called the "Pineapple King" because he helped create the huge pineapple industry in Hawaii. He started the Hawaiian Pineapple Company (HAPCO), which later became the Dole Food Company. Today, this company sells food in over 90 countries. James Dole was also a cousin of Sanford B. Dole, who was the President of the Republic of Hawaii.
Contents
Early Life and Moving to Hawaii
James Dole was born on September 27, 1877, in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. This area is now part of Boston. His family had lived in America since the early colonial times. His father, Charles Fletcher Dole, was a minister, and his mother was Frances Drummond.
James went to Roxbury Latin School in Roxbury, Massachusetts. After high school, he studied agriculture at Harvard University. He earned his degree in 1899.
After college, James Dole received a gift of US$50. He started saving money to begin his own business. Once he had saved US$16,240, he decided to move to Hawaii. He arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on November 16, 1899, when he was 22 years old. At that time, his cousin, Sanford B. Dole, was the leader of Hawaii.
Starting a Pineapple Farm
James Dole bought a 64-acre (26-hectare) piece of land in the middle of Oahu island. He tried growing different crops there. Eventually, he decided that pineapple was the best crop to focus on.
Building the Pineapple Business
As his farm grew, Dole built a factory in Wahiawa to can and pack his pineapples. His pineapples became very popular, and he needed a bigger factory. So, in 1907, he built a new cannery near Honolulu Harbor.
That same year, Dole started advertising his canned pineapples in magazines. He created the first nationwide ad campaign for a consumer product in the United States. This made demand for Hawaiian pineapples grow even more.
New Machines and Growth
In 1913, Dole invested in a new machine called the Ginaca machine. This amazing machine could peel and core 35 pineapples every minute! Before this, hundreds of workers had to peel each pineapple by hand, which was very slow. With the Ginaca machine, Dole's business grew much faster. Other pineapple companies soon started using this machine too.
At first, many small pineapple farms in Hawaii made a good living. But James Dole wanted to make his company the biggest. He aimed to control most of the pineapple market.
The Pineapple Island
By 1922, Dole had convinced his family and friends to invest a lot of money in his company. With this money, he bought the entire island of Lānaʻi. He turned Lānaʻi into a huge pineapple plantation, covering over 20,000 acres (8,100 hectares). It became the largest pineapple farm in the world.
Dole used large machines and brought in many workers to grow and harvest the pineapples. This helped him lower the price of his pineapples so much that other smaller companies found it hard to compete. For much of the 20th century, Lānaʻi produced over 75% of the world's pineapple crop. This is why Lānaʻi became known as "Pineapple Island." Dole also bought land on the island of Maui.
Air Travel and Challenges
In 1927, Dole was inspired by Charles Lindbergh's famous flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He thought that airplanes could help deliver his pineapples faster. So, he sponsored the Dole Air Race. He offered US$25,000 for the first plane to fly from California to Honolulu and US$10,000 for second place. Only two planes finished the race, but ten other people died trying. Even so, the race helped open up air travel to Hawaii.
However, Dole's big investments in land, machines, and air travel, along with lower pineapple prices, made his company financially risky. Pineapples take two years to grow. When the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, people bought fewer pineapples. This caused Dole's company to lose money. By December 1932, James Dole was no longer in charge of the company.
Family Life and Later Years
James Dole married Belle Dickey (1880–1972) on November 23, 1906. They had five children: Richard, James Jr., Elisabeth, Charles, and Barbara.
Even though his cousin Sanford Dole had asked him not to, James Dole's name became very well-known with his products. The first product to actually have his name on it was canned Dole pineapple juice.
James Dole retired in 1948. He had several health problems, including a series of strokes. He passed away from a heart attack on May 20, 1958.
Dole was buried in the Makawao Union Church cemetery on Maui. His grave looks out over the slopes of Haleakala and the vast pineapple fields that were once his Maui plantation. His wife, Belle, had these words carved on his gravestone: "He was a Man, Take Him All in All. I Shall Not Look Upon His Like Again."
Dole's Legacy in Hawaii
About 8.5 acres (3.4 hectares) of James Dole's original home and gardens stayed in the Dole family until 1972. His first house fell down in 1971, but other buildings from 1901 and 1905 remained. Later, the land was turned into homes.
The Dole Plantation Tourist Spot
The Dole Plantation is a popular tourist attraction today. It started in 1950 as a small fruit stand in the middle of Dole's original pineapple fields. In 1989, the fruit stand was changed into a plantation home. It became a living museum that shows the life and work of James Dole. You can find it off Kamehameha Highway (Route 99).
The plantation has the world's largest maze, made entirely from Hawaiian plants. It was first built in 1998 and was expanded in 2007. The maze covers 137,194 square feet (12,746 square meters) and its paths are 13,001 feet (3,963 meters) long.
Visitors can also take the "Pineapple Express," a two-mile (3 km) train ride. The train ride explains the history of pineapples. There's also a garden tour that teaches about local plants, irrigation, and life on a plantation.
Dole Cannery Transformation
In 1991, the Dole Cannery closed its operations. It was then turned into a large building with media studios, conference rooms, and ballrooms. The lower levels now have a modern shopping center and a movie theater. The original Ginaca machines and cannery storage were kept and turned into a museum. This museum tells the story of the Hawaiian Pineapple Company. The cannery is located in Iwilei, near Honolulu Harbor.
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