Founder Profile
William Wallace Cargill
Last reviewed: November 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is William Wallace Cargill?
William Wallace Cargill is a founder of Cargill, Incorporated, which was founded in 1865 with John H. MacMillan Sr..
- Company founded
- Cargill, Incorporated
- Founded
- 1865
- Co-founders
- John H. MacMillan Sr.
Background
William Wallace Cargill was born in Long Island, New York, in 1844 to a Scottish sea captain, moving west to Wisconsin and purchasing his first grain elevator in Iowa in 1865.
Founding Story
William Wallace Cargill was the founder of Cargill, Incorporated. He recognized that the expansion of American railroads created vast opportunities to store and transport Midwestern grain, building an elevator empire across Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas.
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to William Wallace Cargill. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Cargill, Incorporated Corporate Charter & Business Registration (Cargill, Incorporated)
- Cargill, Incorporated Investor Relations & Corporate Governance (Cargill, Incorporated)