Sam Zemurray was born in 1877 in the Russian Empire, in what is now Moldova, and arrived in America at 14 with almost nothing. He settled in Alabama, where he worked in his uncle’s store and learned the basics of buying and selling.
While in the port of Mobile, he noticed something no one else seemed to care about. Bananas that had ripened on the voyage from Central America were considered too far gone to ship inland, so the big fruit companies simply left them to rot. Zemurray bought these “ripes” for next to nothing, loaded them onto trains, and telegraphed grocers in towns along the rail line to meet the cars and buy them before they spoiled. By 21, he had made about $100,000.
From there he moved into Honduras, buying land and building his own banana operation, the Cuyamel Fruit Company. His rise also had a dark side. In 1911 he backed an armed overthrow of the Honduran government to protect his business interests, a chapter that shows how much power fruit companies held over Central America.
In 1929, Zemurray sold Cuyamel to the giant United Fruit Company for stock. When the Depression hit and the company floundered under poor leadership, he gathered shareholder support, marched into a board meeting, and took control. He led United Fruit for nearly two decades.
Later in life, he gave generously to Tulane University and many other causes. He died in New Orleans in 1961. His story is told in Rich Cohen’s book The Fish That Ate the Whale.
Sam Zemurray’s story is covered in Deeply Driven Episode #9.
Source Book
The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America’s Banana King
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