John A. Snively facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Snively
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| Born |
John Andrew Snively
1889 |
| Died | 1958 (aged 68–69) Winter Haven, Florida, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Founder of Snively Groves Inc |
| Spouse(s) | Dorothy DeHaven Snively |
| Children | 3 |
John Andrew Snively (1889 – January 22, 1958) was a very important citrus grower. He grew oranges and other citrus fruits in Florida and Georgia, USA. At one point, his companies grew a huge amount of Florida's citrus crop. They produced one-third of all the citrus in the state!
Contents
John Snively's Early Life
John Snively was born in Schellsburg, Pennsylvania. His parents were Frank B. Snively and Laura Irvin Snively. In 1910, when he was 21, John moved to Winter Haven, Florida. He started working there as a salesman for fertilizer.
Starting a Citrus Business
A few years later, John bought his first citrus grove. This was just before a time when land in Florida became very popular and expensive. His first grove was 10 acres near Lake Eloise in Winter Haven. John worked very hard and saved his money. This helped him buy more groves and grow his business.
In 1934, he started a company called Polk Packing Company. This company later became Snively Groves Inc. In the 1930s, his company became the biggest fruit packing and canning business in the USA. It employed over 1,500 people. At that time, it was the largest business in Winter Haven.
How World War II Helped Citrus
When World War II started, the citrus business grew a lot. Countries fighting in the war, like the Allied Nations, needed lots of canned and packaged citrus fruit. They needed more fruit than growers could produce. The Allies were willing to buy all the canned fruit they could get. They didn't even care much about the quality or price!
This huge demand made citrus prices go way up. Snively Groves Inc. grew very quickly during this time.
Snively's Home: Magnolia Mansion
During the 1940s, John Snively built a beautiful home. It was called Magnolia Mansion. This large house was built in the style of homes from New Orleans. It was located on the shores of Lake Eloise. Lake Eloise is part of Winter Haven's famous Chain of Lakes. Later, in the 1970s, the Cypress Gardens theme park bought Magnolia Mansion.
Leading the Citrus Industry
After World War II ended, the demand for citrus fruit changed. The wartime market was gone. This caused citrus prices to go up and down a lot. Sometimes, the price of citrus fruit was so low that it cost more to grow it than to sell it.
John Snively realized that citrus growers needed to work together. They had to organize to survive these tough times. Working together would help make prices more stable. It would also help create rules for fruit quality.
His strong leadership helped create the Florida Citrus Mutual. This was the most important citrus industry group of its time. Later, he became the President of the Florida Citrus Exchange. John Snively remained an active and important person in the citrus industry until he passed away in 1958.
Other Business and Community Roles
John Snively was involved in many other businesses too. He was on the board of the Tavares & Gulf Railroad. He also served on the board of the Winter Haven Exchange National Bank.
Later in his life, he built several housing areas. He used some of his grove land for these new neighborhoods. Examples include Inwood and Eloise Woods in Winter Haven. He was also elected to be a City Commissioner in Winter Haven for three years. This is a political job where he helped make decisions for the city.
A Humanitarian Businessman
John Snively was known for being direct and sometimes tough in his business dealings. But he was also known as a humanitarian. This means he cared about people and helped others. He was very involved in several charities. These charities helped young people and their well-being.
Family and Legacy
John Snively was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Winter Haven. He was married to Dorothy DeHaven Snively. They had one son and two daughters. He passed away from a heart attack when he was 68 years old.
John Snively was one of the first people to be honored in the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame.
A school in Winter Haven, Florida, is named after him. It is called John A. Snively Elementary School. It is located on Snively Avenue and has about 500 students. John Snively was also the grandfather of the famous musician Gram Parsons.
