Michael Cudahy (1841–1910) was an American industrialist.
Cudahy was born in Callan, County Kilkenny Ireland in 1841 and emigrated to the United States in 1849.[1][2][3] He moved with his family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and worked in the meat packing industry.
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With the help of his brothers Edward and Patrick Cudahy, he established the Cudahy Meatpacking plant in South Omaha, Nebraska.
By the late 19th century Michael Cudahy had become a wealthy man living a comfortable life. He took an interest in Mackinac Island, Michigan as a summer home. By this time, Michael and his wife had seven children, four boys and three girls. He owned a home in Hubbard’s Annex on the island in the late 19th century, which he later sold to his brother Edward. He then went to California in 1897 and traded in real estate to expand his fortune. He returned to Mackinac Island in 1904 and bought 150 acres (0.61 km2), making him one of the largest landowners on Mackinac Island. Cudahy handpicked renowned architect Frederick Perkins to fulfill his visions of a stunning West Bluff mansion. Perkins also designed the Governors Mansion on the island. In 1904, construction was completed on his mansion which he named Stonecliffe which was the largest private home on Mackinac Island. It went through a number of owners after Cudahy's death in 1910. In 1970 Stonecliffe was purchased by an entrepreneur named George Steffan who converted the mansion and associated buildings into a first class resort hotel called The Inn at Stonecliffe in which capacity it continues to function to this day.
In 1908 Cudahy sold his share of the Cudahy Meatpacking Company and acquired a 2,800 acre (11 km²) Rancho San Antonio east of Los Angeles, California. He subdivided the ranch and sold it as one acre (4,000 m²) lots. This area was incorporated in 1960 as the City of Cudahy, California.