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Home > What's New > Swisher Head William Ziegler III, 79, dies
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Swisher Head William Ziegler III, 79, dies
Posted: Friday, June 27, 2008
By David Savona
Photograph by Abbie Ross
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William Ziegler III, the chairman of Swisher Inc., died on June 13. He was 79.
Ziegler took control of Swisher, producer of the best-selling cigar in the United States, the machine-made Swisher Sweet—in 1966 when his American Maize-Products Co. acquired the cigarmaker. Ziegler oversaw Swisher's run during the cigar boom of the 1990s.
A resident of Darien, Connecticut, Ziegler was a well-known philanthropist in the area, and donated to the preservation of the Long Island Sound. He is survived by six children.
Swisher dates back to 1861, when David Swisher was given a small cigar business to to settle a debt. In 1888, Swisher Brothers was formed by David's sons John and Harry. The Swisher Sweet cigar brand was created in 1958 and is celebrating its 50th year. Swisher has executive offices in Connecticut, and makes cigars in Jacksonville, Florida, and smokeless tobacco in Wheeling, West Virginia.
Swisher makes billions of cigars, which are sold in 60 countries, and claims to account for one-third of the cigars sold in the United States.
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