Biography.guide
Home › People › John Latendresse
Portrait of John Latendresse

John Latendresse

1925 – 2000

American businessman

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About John Latendresse

Lived 1925 – 2000 (aged 74).

John Robert Latendresse (July 26, 1925, in South Dakota – July 23, 2000) was an American collector, known for being the "father of American cultured freshwater pearls". He left home at 13, and lying about his age, joined the U.S. Marines at 15, serving 38 months in the South Pacific during World War II. On his return he moved to Reno, Nevada, where he worked as a casino cashier.

Latendresse founded the Tennessee Shell Company in 1954 to supply the shell fragments used to seed pearls to pearl farmers overseas, later founding the American Pearl Company in 1961 to import pearls from Japan. He began experimenting with culturing pearls in the United States resulting in him becoming the first successful North American freshwater pearl farmer and he has been voted one of the pearl industry's most important people of the century.

The Tennessee River Pearl Farm has since been featured in a variety of national publications and television broadcasts including National Geographic (August 1985), Forbes (August 6, 1990), Audubon (March 1985), Smithsonian (January 1998), Town & Country (December 2002), National Geographic video - Splendid Stones (1991) and Sunday Morning News with Charles Osgood (Feb 2002).

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Also known as
John Robert Latendresse

People in John Latendresse's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped John Latendresse's

Frequently asked questions

Who was John Latendresse?

American businessman

When was John Latendresse born?

John Latendresse was born on 26 July 1925.

When did John Latendresse die?

John Latendresse died on 23 July 2000.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: John Latendresse

· Wikidata: Q6244073

· DBpedia: John Latendresse

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). John Latendresse. https://biography.guide/john-latendresse/

MLA: "John Latendresse." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/john-latendresse/.

Chicago: "John Latendresse." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/john-latendresse/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:13 UTC