General Mills Corporate Communications

George S. Pillsbury, one of the last in a line of civic and corporate leaders bearing the Pillsbury name, recently appeared at General Mills with Lori Sturdevant, writer and editorial columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and author of the new book, “The Pillsburys of Minnesota.” 

George S. Pillsbury signs a copy of the book about his family.

 
Pillsbury, nearly 90, relayed personal conversations and colorful, informative yarns about how the Pillsbury family built a global business, and helped establish the civic and educational culture of the Twin Cities
 
Saving the University of Minnesota
The Pillsburys came to Minnesota in the boom years of the 1850s, but their legacy of civic and corporate responsibility are woven into the fabric of the state’s culture today, Sturdevant says. 

For example, the Pillsbury family played a critical role in saving the University of Minnesota.

The school was established in 1851 as a preparatory school, but was only intermittently open. After managing to be elevated to collegiate status, the school closed soon after. By 1863, the university was insolvent.

Newly elected Gov. Henry A. Swift, hoping to save the school, invited John S. Pillsbury (George S.’s great uncle) to become one of three regents for the University of Minnesota.

After thinking for just a moment, John Pillsbury accepted, which turned out to be a momentous event for the cash-strapped institution.

Although the university, without even one faculty member, did not yet qualify for a government land grant to support functioning colleges, Pillsbury reasoned that cash might be raised against the promise of the land that would come to the university when it again became functional. Within four years, Pillsbury retired the university’s more than $100,000 debt.

What motivated John S.?
Pillsbury, who had no higher education, was drawn to the idea that he could help make Minnesota a state of well-educated people.

And he did. Pillsbury had literally willed the University of Minnesota to life. 

The Pillsbury family continued to impact the community through the establishment of the Guthrie Theater, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, libraries, museums and even a state forest.

“The most striking feature of the family was the relationship between corporate responsibility and civic duties,” Sturdevant says. 

She maintains that the Pillsburys represent “bedrock Minnesota values” in their commitment to shared civic power and personal responsibility – “They really became a template for today’s corporate activities.”

As corporate leaders, the Pillsburys pioneered ideas, such as corporate profit sharing with employees, and they worked hard – not just John S. – to ensure the community maintained an educated and prosperous middle class.

“They built their empire on hard work, treating people right, unpretentiousness and commitment to the common good,” said Sturdevant.