International Paper

The company was incorporated January 31, 1898, upon the merger of 17 pulp and paper mills in the northeastern United States. Its founders and first two presidents were William Augustus Russell, who died suddenly in January 1899, and Hugh J. Chisholm. Philip Tell Dodge, president of the Mergenthaler Linotype Company, served as its chairman for 11 years. The invention of the Linotype dramatically increased the size of newspapers and the need for newsprint. The newly formed company supplied 60 percent of all newsprint in the country.

Hudson River Mill

The Hudson River Mill in Corinth, New York, where the Sacandaga River joins the Hudson River, was a pioneer in the development of the modern paper industry in the late 19th century. The first wood-based newsprint paper mill in New York, it was built by Albrecht Pagenstecher in 1869.In the early 20th century, the Hudson River Mill was one of the company's largest plants and served both as its principal office, and a place where paper workers helped shape the direction of the industry's early labor movement.

After World War II, Hudson River Mill workers developed the production of coated paper for the company. Shifting economic forces resulted in the mill's closure in November 2002. The historic mill was slated for partial demolition during 2011. The work including asbestos removal was completed by Northstar Group Services.Given the nature of their products, paper plants are highly flammable. Therefore, International Paper Company frequently used asbestos insulation in its walls, floors, and roofs as a protective measure. Asbestos insulation was also used on pipes and boilers throughout International Paper plants. This material intended to protect people turned out to severely damage their health The producers did not reveal that their asbestos products were dangerous, even though asbestos was known to cause illnesses as far back as the 1920s. Consequently, many former employees of International Paper have been diagnosed with mesothelioma following decades of service.

Mill workers' strike

Acquisitions

1986–2000

In 1986, the company acquired the Hammermill Paper Company, founded in 1898, which managed eleven papermills nationwide, and had its corporate offices based in Erie, PA; in 1988, the Masonite Corporation; and in 1989, the German paper company Zanders Feinpapiere AG and the French paper manufacturer Aussedat Rey. In 1996, it purchased Federal Paper Board. In 1999, the company purchased Union Camp Corporation, and in June of 2000 Champion International. Additionally, it owns shares in the Chilean company Copec.

2011

Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills Rajahmundry, which is now an International Paper company, is one of the biggest integrated paper and pulp manufacturing centers in India. The company produces writing, printing, and copier papers and paper boards for foreign and domestic markets. APPM's production facilities are two mills in Rajahmundry and Kadiam with a total production capacity of 240,000 TPD .

2012

In 2012, International Paper, through the merger of its wholly owned subsidiary Metal Acquisition Inc. with and into Temple-Inland, acquired Temple-Inland in a deal valued at $4.5 billion. Temple-Inland then became a wholly owned subsidiary of International Paper. At the time of sale, Temple-Inland's corrugated packaging operation consisted of 7 mills and 59 converting facilities as well as the building products operation.

Restructuring, 2005–2006

In 2005 and 2006, the company undertook a significant restructuring, selling over 6,000,000 acres of forestland in the U.S., along with its coated paper, kraft paper, wood products, and beverage packaging businesses, as well as subsidiaries Arizona Chemical and New Zealand-based Carter Holt Harvey. The coated paper business were sold to Apollo Management and now operate as Verso Paper. The kraft paper business was sold to Kapstone Paper and Packaging and operates as Kapstone Kraft Paper.The beverage packaging business, now called Evergreen Packaging, was purchased by Carter Holt Harvey, following the purchase of CHH by Graeme Hart. The company sold its wood products division to West Fraser Timber, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. This included 13 sawmills, making West Fraser the second-largest producer of lumber in North America, after Weyerhaeuser Company.

Challenges of an electronic world

Under pressure from budget sequestration in 2013, the federal government of the United States has moved from physical checks to cheaper electronic transactions.

John Runyan, former head of federal government relations for IP, has become executive director of Consumers for Paper Options, a paper industry funded group that advocates for the use of paper documents for clients of the federal government who are Internet challenged.

During Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, International Paper continued to operate in the Russian market.