Dr. Swett's Root Beer was an American brand of root beer that was created in 1845 by Dr. George W. Swett.Federal Trade Commission Decisions, Volume 38, publisher: United States Federal Trade Commission, published: 1946Modern Hospital, Volume 13, publisher: McGraw-Hill., published: 1919The Pharmaceutical Era, publisher: D. O. Haynes & Company, published: 1907
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Dr. George W. Swett was born in 1834 in New Brunswick, Canada, though he was sometimes listed as being from Massachusetts.Western Druggist, publisher: G.P. Engelhard & Company, published: 1920 Advertisements state that Dr. Swett's Root Beer was at least partially created in 1845, when Swett was 11 years old. Dr. Swett's Root Beer was being sold by 1885 as a type of medicine and beverage.The Boston Cooking School Magazine of Culinary Science and Domestic Economics, Volume 3, Issues 1–6, publisher: Boston Cooking-School Magazine, published: 1899Ford's Christian Repository, Volumes 45–46, publisher: Ford's Christian Repository, published: 1888Life, Volume 5, publisher: Life, published: 1885National Magazine, Volume 14, publisher: Chapple Publishing Company, Limited, published: 1901The Chicago Food Encyclopedia, publisher: University of Illinois Press, published: 2017 It had begun being marketed in the 1870s.Ginseng Diggers, publisher: University Press of Kentucky, published: 2022 The drink was originally sold in 5 gallon packages at the price of $1.00 and was available in Boston and New York.Harper's Young People, Volume 6, Issue 228, publisher: Harper and Brothers, published: 2011New York's Great industries: Exchange and commercial review, embracing also historical and descriptive sketch of the city, its leading merchants and manufacturers, publisher: Historical Publishing Company, published: 1885
By 1890, the beverage was being sold at drugstores, soda fountains, sporting events around the US and began being sold in earthenware bottles by 1893.New Century, New Team, publisher: Society for American Baseball Research, published: 2013American Medical Women's Association, Branch No. 2 Chicago Official Bulletin, Volumes3-8, publisher: American Medical Women's Association. Branch no. 2. Chicago, published: 1914United States Investor, Volume 27, Issue 2, publisher: Frank P. Bennett & Company, published: 1917 The beverage had its own dispenser created for it as well.Druggists Circular, Volume 52, publisher: Oil, Paint and Drug Publishing Company Incorporated, published: 1908 The beverage, which had alcohol in it, was affected by the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act, which had intended to stop companies from selling fake medicines and required companies to list their ingredients.Annual report of the State Board of Health of Massachusetts. 1908, publisher: Wright & Potter, published: 1909
The beverage began being sold by the Tri-State Beverage Company in, El Paso, Texas, in 1919. The company opened up a Philadelphia branch in 1920 along with having a Chicago location.American Bottler, publisher: American Bottler, published: 1920Philadelphia Record, June 17, 1920, publisher: Philadelphia Record, published: 1920 The company then opened up a branch in Portland, Maine, in 1921. The company was also selling beverages at local food courts next to other brands like Coca-Cola, Moxie and Whistle Orange at this time.
Swett died on March 12, 1924, in Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.The Boston Evening Transcript, March 16, 1924, publisher: The Boston Evening Transcript, published: 1924 The company was incorporated under the new ownership of George R. Dunham in 1925. The company claimed to have its beverages distributed in Australia, Canada, South America and Alaska in 1921 and were listed as having locations in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Oakland, New Orleans and Montreal in May 1925. The Baker and Malaspina Company of Connecticut was listed as a manufacturer of the beverage in 1932. The company was sold in 1938 to a group of stockholders, including Nelson Rockefeller and its headquarters were moved to New York City. The company claimed that their formula was 100 years old in 1946. The company was then sold to the Corn Products Company and the O-So Grape Company in 1948. The company was floundering by the 1950s with some citing World War II sugar scarcities being a reason and has been cited as being defunct by 1959.Moxie, publisher: Arcadia Publishing, published: 2019 By 1990, the trademark for the company had expired.
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