Founder Profile
John Fairfield Dryden
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is John Fairfield Dryden?
John Fairfield Dryden is a founder of Prudential Financial Inc., which was founded in 1875.
- Company founded
- Prudential Financial Inc.
- Founded
- 1875
Background
Dryden attended Yale but left because of ill health. He then studied the industrial insurance model of Britain's Prudential Assurance Company before founding his own company in Newark.
Founding Story
John Fairfield Dryden (1839-1911) founded Prudential in Newark, New Jersey in 1875. He brought British-style industrial insurance to the U.S.: small weekly premiums collected door to door so working families could afford a death benefit. He led the company for decades and served as a U.S. Senator from New Jersey from 1902 to 1907.
Education: Worcester Academy.
Dryden was born on August 7, 1839 and died on November 24, 1911. He represented New Jersey in the US Senate from 1902 to 1907 and was president of Prudential from 1881 until his death, when his son Forrest succeeded him. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).