In 1859, Eben Norton Horsford (1818-1893), a co-founder of The Rumford Company, formulated and patented Rumford Baking Powder, the first calcium phosphate baking powder. Originally dubbed Horsford’s Cream of Tartar Substitute, Rumford Baking Powder quickly became widely accepted since it achieved more dependable results and was less expensive than using crude formulas of cream of tartar and baking soda. The calcium acid phosphate in Rumford Baking Powder was also considered to be healthier than cream of tartar.

The origin of the Rumford brand name is traced to Count Rumford (Benjamin “James” Thompson of Woburn, Massachusetts), a gifted inventor and scientist. Thompson, who is said to have bootlegged physics courses at Harvard when still a poor boy, became one of the discoverers of the Law of Conservation of Energy, and left the endowment for the Rumford Professorship in 1814. The Rumford Chair of the Application of Science to the Useful Arts was given to those who showed exceptional achievements in Science and Cooking. Professor Horsford, founder of the Rumford Company, once occupied the Rumford Chair at Harvard The Rumford brand logo depicts a cameo of Count Rumford in honor of his contributions to the fields of cooking and baking.