"[5][6] He was born in Brookville, Indiana, to Gilbert Van Camp, of Dutch descent, and Hester Jane Raymond.
[1] In 1894, an Indianapolis merchandiser brought a load of canned baked beans to the Van Camp plant to have them reprocessed.
[10] However, due to excessive gambling, the construction of a large mansion in Indianapolis, and unsuccessful attempts to enter the Midwest U.S. tomato market, Van Camp accrued debts of over $1,000,000 by 1912.
Eventually, Van Camp locked out the strikers and requested the local police to suppress the strike.
[18] At the time of his death, the Van Camp Seafood Company was the world's largest tuna packer.