Thomas Dove Foster
FOSTER, THOMAS DOVE (1847–1915), inducted between 1920–1948
Artist Unknown
Thomas Dove Foster was born in Bradford, England, grandson of the founder of John Morrell and Company meatpacking firm. He began working in the family business as a hog buyer, and by age twenty, was selected to manage the company’s new American branch in Chicago. T. D. Foster moved the US headquarters to Ottumwa, Iowa, in 1877, and in 1893, he became chairman of both British and American operations. Foster considered the welfare of his employees a high priority. In service to them, he organized an annual company picnic and funded the construction of a YMCA and a church near the Ottumwa plant.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 90