The Second Amendment and NRA community has lost a truly great champion: John Brewster “JB” Hodgdon, who with his brother Bob led Hodgdon Powder Company into the American gun-owning lexicon, passed away on June 13, 2025. He was 88. Amid his passing, the Hodgdon family wants everyone to know though JB has left us, he leaves behind a rich legacy of reliance on faith, family and hard work and a deep love for the shooting sports and the outdoors.
A lifelong resident of Kansas, John Brewster Hodgdon was born Oct. 16, 1936 to Bruce and Amy Hodgdon. JB grew up in Kansas City, and was graduated from the University of Kansas in 1959 with a degree in business. His father, Bruce, after World War II gambled on Americans’ demand for low-cost gunpowder and purchased 50,000 pounds of government-surplus 4895. A 1-inch ad in The American Rifleman announced its sale for $30 (plus freight) per 150-pound keg. JB and Bob, two years his junior, delivered shipments to the REA or the Merriam Frisco train terminal on their way to high school. By 1952, Bruce Hodgdon quit his full-time job at the Gas Service Company and launched the B.E. Hodgdon Company, and in 1966 turned it into the Hodgdon Powder Company. JB and Bob grew up in the world of guns and hunting. One need look no further for testament to this than the collection of hunting trophies and firearms collected from across the world on display at his home and Hodgdon HQ.
But atop all this, JB and his brother Bob earned the NRA Media Golden Bullseye Pioneer Award in 2009 because the brothers built Hodgdon Powder Company into the preeminent supplier of gunpowder and black powder substitutes across our nation. JB held many roles at Hodgdon Powder. He packaged powder at his dining room table. He led international sales. For many years he served as the face of Hodgdon Powder at trade shows—a role in which many hunters and gun owners remember him. In later life he served on the Hodgdon board of directors and as board chair. For the past couple of years, he coached his granddaughter, Amy Hodgdon-Meyer, to assume his former role on the board of directors.
JB Hodgdon was active throughout his life in his community through his interaction with first responders and with Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America). He was an ardent supporter of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2020. He was an NRA Benefactor member; life member of the Kansas State Rifle Association; and member of Safari Club International, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited and the National 4-H Shooting Sports. He was an office favorite. “I have been associated with the Hodgdon family and JB Hodgdon for more than five decades,” said Tom Shepherd, chairman of the board at Hodgdon. “JB was a first-rate owner, an incredible professional and a valued friend and counselor to work for during my career. He will be deeply missed.”
JB Hodgdon leaves behind Anne, his beloved wife of 28 years, four sons, two stepchildren, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His brother Robert Eltinge “Bob” Hodgdon preceded JB in death on Jan. 14, 2023.
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