Dorrance, John Thompson (1873–1930)

US food manufacturer. Working for the canning company, Joseph Campbell Preserve Company, he had the idea of replicating the soups he had enjoyed in Europe, but in condensed form, and, by 1904, his soups had begun to dominate company sales.

He was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania and took his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Göttingen in Germany. He turned down prestigious academic posts in favour of going to the Joseph Campbell Preserve Company, his uncle's canning factory. By 1910 he was general manager and the company was producing only soups and pork and beans. His uncle retired in 1914 and Dorrance became president. By 1915, he was sole owner of Campbell Soup and he had turned the company into a major international producer of canned soups.