Philo Carpenter

Philo Carpenter (1805-1886) was Chicago, Illinois' first pharmacist.

Born in Massachusetts, Carpenter came to Chicago in 1832 and opened the settlement's first drug store in a log cabin on what is now Lake Street. He made enough money in two years to afford to return to the East and marry his fiancee.

Philo and Ann Carpenter's arrival in Chicago was a small turning point in the area's history, because they came into town in a fancy carriage. This was the first pleasure vehicle to arrive in Chicago, and the Carpenters' trip in such a carriage proved that the area was safe from Indian attacks.

Carpenter invested heavily in real estate in the areas surrounding what are now LaSalle Street and Wacker Drive. But the depression of 1837 wiped him out, and his creditors took all of the land he had purchased. The area would be worth over $200 million today.

His pharmaceutical business soon allowed him to become financially solvent again. A religious man, he organized the Home Sunday School of the First Presbyterian Church. He as an elder in this church until the Civil War, when members of the congregation split over whether to support the North or the South.

He then organized a new church, the First Congregational, and became deacon. Carpenter also was a member of the Chicago Theological Seminary, and was managing director of the Chicago Bible Society.

The aftermath of the fire of 1871 saw Carpenter in another leadership role as he organized the Relief and Aid Society. He also was a member of the school board and of the board of health, and was a crusader for temperance reform.

Carpenter Street at 1032 west in Chicago is named for Philo Carpenter.