biography
| name: |
Hershey, Milton (Snavely)
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1857–1945)
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| biography:
| Confectionery manufacturer, and philanthropist, born in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, USA. His father moved so frequently that Milton attended seven schools in eight years, never progressing beyond grade four. He apprenticed to a Lancaster, PA confectioner (1872–6), then opened his own sweet shop in Philadelphia. By 1886 he was back in Lancaster, where he soon found success making caramels using fresh milk, but by 1900 had sold his caramel business to concentrate on chocolate. In 1903 he built a factory near his birthplace to manufacture five-cent chocolate bars, and the business so prospered that ‘Hershey’ became virtually synonymous with chocolate in the USA, and he branched out to dominate the cocoa and syrup markets. In order to maintain his constantly expanding need for reliable workers, he began to build a complete town near the factory, including shops, schools, recreational facilities, and a large amusement park. In 1909 he built a trade school for orphan boys. Although often criticized for his paternalism and for running a ‘company town’, he did expand the town's building programme during the 1930s depression, and he left his vast fortune to various philanthropies including a medical centre. |
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