Prudential Insurance Company of America

John Fairfield Dryden was an American insurance executive, businessman, and politician best known as the founder of what became The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Sources agree that he established the company in Newark in the 1870s and became a leading figure in the rise of industrial life insurance in the United States.

Before building Prudential, Dryden studied ideas around insurance for working families, and that focus shaped the company’s early mission. He is often described as a pioneer in making life insurance more accessible to ordinary wage earners rather than treating it only as a product for the wealthy.

Dryden’s career later extended into public life as well: he served as a U.S. senator from New Jersey in the early 20th century. Today, he is remembered mainly for the lasting impact of Prudential and for helping bring insurance into the financial lives of millions of Americans.