Founder Profile
Horace Hagedorn
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Horace Hagedorn?
Horace Hagedorn is a founder of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, which was founded in 1868 with Orlando McLean Scott and Otto Stern.
- Company founded
- The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
- Founded
- 1868
- Co-founders
- Orlando McLean Scott and Otto Stern
Background
Advertising and marketing executive in New York.
Founding Story
Horace Hagedorn was an advertising executive who co-founded Miracle-Gro in 1951 with nurseryman Otto Stern. He built the brand through direct-response and broadcast advertising, and Miracle-Gro combined with Scotts in 1995. His family, through the Hagedorn Partnership, remains the largest shareholder.
Horace Hagedorn was born in 1915 in Manhattan.
Hagedorn was born in 1915 and died in 2005. An advertising executive, he co-founded the Miracle-Gro brand with Otto Stern and later bought out Stern's 50 percent interest.