Eli Lilly (July 8, 1838 – June 6, 1898) was a Union Army officer, pharmacist, chemist, and businessman who founded Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War and recruited a company of men to serve with him in the 18th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery .

Eli Lilly was born July 8, 1838, at Fairmont Plantation on Old Liberty Road in Baltimore, Maryland. Named after his grandfather, he was the first of 11 children born to Gustavus and Esther Kirby Lilly.

The company was founded by Colonel Eli Lilly, a pharmaceutical chemist and Union army veteran of the American Civil War. Lilly served as the company president until his death in 1898. [19] In 1869, after working for drugstores in Indiana, Lilly became a partner in a Paris, Illinois -based drugstore with James W. Binford. [20] .

Eli Lilly and Company founder (July 8, 1838-June 6, 1898). Eli Lilly was born in Maryland but soon thereafter moved with his family to Kentucky and then, in 1852, to Greencastle, Indiana.

Colonel Eli Lilly began a new business in Indianapolis in 1876 manufacturing drugs for wholesale distribution – a business that became Indiana’s most successful start-up.

Mar 25, 2025 · The story of Eli Lilly begins with its eponymous founder, Colonel Eli Lilly. A trained pharmacist and Civil War veteran, Lilly established the company in 1876 with a clear mission: to transform raw botanical materials into reliable, high-quality medicines.

From his disastrous southern sojourn, Lilly forged a new life as the founder of what became one of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world—a firm that still bears his name.

Eli Lilly and Company was founded on May 10, 1876, by Civil War veteran Col. Eli Lilly. Lilly began the company out of frustration with the ineffective medications of the time and wanted to create a pharmaceutical company that would provide high-quality, effective medications backed by …

Colonel Eli Lilly is the founder of Eli Lilly and Company, an international pharmaceutical corporation headquartered in Indianapolis. He moved to Indiana in 1852 and attended Indiana Asbury College (now DePauw University).

Eli Lilly and Company creates and delivers innovative medicines that enable people to live longer, healthier and more active lives. Key Dates: 1876: Colonel Eli Lilly starts making ethical drugs in Indianapolis. 1881: Company is incorporated.