Smith Brothers (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.)

Smith Brothers Cough Drop Company was founded in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1847 by brothers William Wallace Smith (1830-1913) and Andrew Smith (1836-1895). Their father, James Smith, had emigrated from Scotland and settled in New York, where he started a small candy business. Upon purchasing the formula for a "cough candy" from a traveling man, James added the items to his product line. Menthol cough drops were added in 1922, a cough syrup in 1926, and the wild cherry flavor, the firm's most popular and best known, in 1948. The business continued to be owned and operated by the Smith family until 1963 when it merged with Warner-Lambert (a subsidiary of Pfizer Corp.); as of 1964 the Smith Brothers Cough Drop line was acquired by F & F Foods of Chicago, who continues to manufacture it today (2010).