Albert E. Kent and his brother Sydney Kent, who had been working in Chicago merchant houses, founded their own meatpacking company in 1860. The firm opened a New York office in 1862, which made it easier for the Kents to win contracts to supply salt pork to the Northern armies during the Civil War. During the winter of 1864–65, the company packed more than 62,000 hogs and 14,000 cattle at its Chicago facilities. Kent continued to rank among the city's leading packers into the early 1870s but faded in importance thereafter.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.