Historic Beer Birthday: Robert F. Ballantine

Today is the birthday of Robert Francis Ballantine (January 3, 1836-December 9 or 10, 1905). He was born in New Jersey, and was the son of Peter Ballantine, who founded the Patterson & Ballantine Brewing Company in 1840 in Newark, New Jersey. Peter Ballantine had three sons, and they joined him in the business in 1857, which is when the name was changed to the P. Ballantine and Sons Brewing Company. In 1883, when his father died, Robert became president of the brewery, outliving both his brothers and continuing to run the family business until his own death in 1905.

This short biography of Robert Ballantine is from “New Jersey History,” published in 1909:

And this lengthier obituary is from the Brewers Journal:

And here’s a history of the Ballantine brewery from “A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860,” by John Leander Bishop, Edwin Troxell Freedley, Edward Young, published in 1868: