Julius Freed (August 13, 1887 – April 23, 1952) was an American banker, mechanical engineer, and amateur pigeon racer, notable for his involvement in the creation of the beverage Orange Julius.

Freed was the only son of German immigrants Adolf Freed and Irmgard Cumbie-Stanz, who settled in California in 1902. Although Freed's engineering prowess brought forth many innovations, including:

• The auto-cleaning spectacles,
• An inflatable shrimp trap and
• A portable pigeon bathing unit,

he is arguably best remembered for his contribution to the beverage industry with the Orange Julius.

Freed was a contemporary of, and often corresponded via post with, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, American director Cecil B. DeMille, and northern California prune farming pioneer Bradly H. Johnson.

Freed died of natural causes in his Los Angeles, California, home.

It all started with a guy who really liked oranges. People called him Julius Freed. Julius liked oranges so much, in fact, that he opened his very own orange juice stand. Sales were slow. But Julius was not alone. He had a friend named Bill Hamlin. Bill also really liked oranges, but they upset his stomach. So Bill got an idea: he blended his orange juice with a few choice ingredients to make it less acidic. It also happened to make it frothy and delicious.

Bill introduced the drink to Julius. Julius introduced the drink to his customers. His customers introduced their friends. And soon the store was lined with thirsty fans shouting, “Give me an orange, Julius!” Sales went through the roof and an original was born.

References

1. Cunningham, Arthur J. "Local Inventor, Proprietor Dead at 64" Los Gatos Daily Letter. 24 April 1952, late ed. 2. Kaempffert, Waldemar B. Popular History of American Invention. New York: AMS Press, 1975.