Larus and Brother Company

Larus and Brother Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Tobacco, Broadcasting, Charcoal manufacturing
Founded	1877
Founder	Charles D. Larus, Herbert C. Larus
Defunct	June 10, 1968 (1968-06-10)
Fate	Tobacco division sold to Rothman's of Canada; media assets divested
Headquarters	Richmond , United States
Products	Pipe tobacco, cigarettes, charcoal, radio and television broadcasting

Larus and Brother Company (1877–1968) was a multifaceted enterprise based in Richmond, Virginia, engaged in the production of pipe tobacco, cigarettes, and charcoal, as well as managing regional radio and television broadcasting outlets.

History

The firm was established in 1877 by Charles D. Larus and Herbert C. Larus following their acquisition of the Richmond-centered Harris Tobacco Company. After Herbert's passing in 1882, William Thomas Reed joined as partner and general manager, ensuring that leadership remained within the Larus and Reed families. The company ceased operations on June 10, 1968; subsequently, Larus Investing Company was created to oversee tobacco and media interests as a holding organization. Later that year, the tobacco division was sold to Rothman's of Canada, Limited, while the remaining media assets were divested in 1969. Records of the company are maintained by the Virginia Historical Society.

Tobacco

Between 1878 and 1897, Larus employed inmate labor at the Virginia State Penitentiary. Its facility on Twenty-first Street in Richmond operated for more than seventy-five years, with formal incorporation occurring in 1900. By 1901, the workforce had organized under the Tobacco Workers International Union (TWIU).

In 1903, Larus introduced its Edgeworth line of tobacco products, which quickly became the leading pipe tobacco within its price segment. Edgeworth Sliced was notable as the first pipe tobacco brand to receive national advertising; Edgeworth Ready-Rubbed debuted in 1912. Expanding into cigarettes followed the acquisition of Reed Tobacco Company in 1913. Distribution centers were established in San Francisco and Boston during the early 1930s. In 1935, Larus purchased Sparrow and Graveley's plug tobacco facility in Martinsville, Virginia; however, it was closed in 1942 due to lack of profitability, with operations consolidated back to Richmond. The addition of Holiday, a manufacturer specializing in aromatic smoking tobacco acquired in 1942, enhanced the company’s product lineup—both Holiday and Edgeworth remained best sellers.

Throughout both World Wars, Larus supplied tobacco products to U.S. military forces and relief organizations; notably, it distributed cigarettes marked "I Shall Return" covertly within the Philippines during World War II.

The workforce was segregated by race and job function: black women predominantly occupied lower-paid, labor-intensive stemmery positions compared to white female employees. In 1942, stemmery workers were organized by the United Cannery, Agricultural, Packing, and Allied Workers of America union. Despite an investigation by the Fair Employment Practices Committee into discriminatory wage practices that year, disparities persisted until black employees received wage increases in 1944. By this time, TWIU represented both white and black workers through segregated locals—a system contested by the American Civil Liberties Union. In 1945, labor authorities ordered the integration of these union locals.

As cigarette consumption rose and pipe tobacco sales declined, Larus pursued diversification strategies. The divestment of its tobacco manufacturing division to Rothman's signaled a deliberate withdrawal from production activities.

Media

WRVA radio, a station fully owned by Larus, began broadcasting on November 2, 1925. The organization ventured into television in 1953 by launching WRVA-TV through its subsidiary, Richmond Television Corporation. In 1968, WRVA-TV was sold to Jefferson Standard Broadcasting Company located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The following year, the AM and FM radio stations were transferred to Southern Broadcasting Company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Charcoal

The company broadened its operations in 1960 by purchasing Charcoal Industries, Inc., which managed a charcoal manufacturing facility under the name Terrace Products Company. This business was discontinued in 1964.