Abe Plough (December 27, 1891 – September 14, 1984) was an American business owner who is best known for founding Plough Inc. Plough merged with the German company Schering Corporation in 1971 and became the pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough.
Early life and education
Abe Plough was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on December 27, 1891, to Moses and Julia Plough, with seven siblings: Sam, Leon, Milton, Alfred, Barney, Morris, and Clara. When he was 11 months old, he and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee where his father, Moses, operated a clothing and furnishings store. He attended Market Street School and learned to calculate without pencil or paper, which would help him later in life.[1][2]
Plough also attended and graduated St. Paul Street Grammar School, and he worked at George V. Francis drug store after school and on weekends where he became interested in the pharmaceutical industry. His father Moses encouraged him to build his own business and lent him $125 to start, which he used to create Plough Chemical Company in 1908. At age sixteen, Abe Plough was owner, manager, and only employee of his new business.