Individual Details
Milton Snavely Hershey
(13 Sep 1857 - 13 Oct 1945)
Milton Hershey founded the Hershey Foods Corporation, maker of the Hershey Chocolate Bar. The following information is condensed from "The Man Behind the Chocolate Bar."
Milton Hershey obtained little formal education. His first employment was as an apprentice at a German-language newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but he was soon fired. Next, he became an apprentice to Joe Royer, a candy maker in Lancaster.
Hershey first set out on his own in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1876 he opened a candy and confection business with money borrowed from his uncle, Abraham Snavely. This too failed, as did efforts at operating a candy business in Denver, New York, Chicago and New Orleans.
In Denver, though, Milton learned the importance of using fresh milk to assure good candy. He returned to Lancaster, and despite being shunned by most of his relatives as an irresponsible drifter, launched another candy business. This time he used his knowledge about the importance of fresh milk and experimented with new recipes. One, "Hershey's Crystal A," became his famous "melt in your mouth" caramel candy. By 1894, Milton Hershey was one of Lancaster County's most substantial citizens.
Hershey first tasted chocolate at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Fascinated with the potential for chocolate, he sold his Lancaster Caramel Company and founded the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1903 in his birth township of Derry, Pennsylvania. The area is now known as Hershey. The factory began operation in 1905.
Milton Hershey's mass production of milk chocolate set the standard for the American food industry. His other unusual project was to found the town of Hershey around his factory. He hired experts to make the town a model worker's community. In addition, he founded the Milton Hershey School for orphans.
Milton Hershey had no children.
Milton Hershey obtained little formal education. His first employment was as an apprentice at a German-language newspaper in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but he was soon fired. Next, he became an apprentice to Joe Royer, a candy maker in Lancaster.
Hershey first set out on his own in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1876 he opened a candy and confection business with money borrowed from his uncle, Abraham Snavely. This too failed, as did efforts at operating a candy business in Denver, New York, Chicago and New Orleans.
In Denver, though, Milton learned the importance of using fresh milk to assure good candy. He returned to Lancaster, and despite being shunned by most of his relatives as an irresponsible drifter, launched another candy business. This time he used his knowledge about the importance of fresh milk and experimented with new recipes. One, "Hershey's Crystal A," became his famous "melt in your mouth" caramel candy. By 1894, Milton Hershey was one of Lancaster County's most substantial citizens.
Hershey first tasted chocolate at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Fascinated with the potential for chocolate, he sold his Lancaster Caramel Company and founded the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1903 in his birth township of Derry, Pennsylvania. The area is now known as Hershey. The factory began operation in 1905.
Milton Hershey's mass production of milk chocolate set the standard for the American food industry. His other unusual project was to found the town of Hershey around his factory. He hired experts to make the town a model worker's community. In addition, he founded the Milton Hershey School for orphans.
Milton Hershey had no children.
Events
| Birth | 13 Sep 1857 | Derry, Dauphin, PA | |||
| Marriage | 25 May 1898 | New York City, NY - Catherine Elizabeth Sweeney |  | ||
| Death | 13 Oct 1945 | Hershey, Dauphin, PA | |  | |
| Burial | Hershey Cemetery, Hershey, Dauphin, PA | |
Families
| Spouse | Catherine Elizabeth Sweeney (1872 - 1915) |
| Father | Henry Hershey Hershey (1829 - 1904) |
| Mother | Veronica Buckwalter "Fanny" Snavely (1835 - 1920) |
| Sibling | Sarena Hershey (1862 - 1867) |
Notes
Marriage
Milton Hershey and Catherine Sweeney were wed in Saint Patrick's Cathedral.Death
Milton Hershey died in the Hershey Hospital across the street from the homestead in which he was born.Endnotes
1. Man Behind the Chocolate Bar, The: An Introduction to Milton S. Herhsey 1857-1945 (Hershey Foods Corporation).
2. Kendig, James Willis. "Milton Snavely Hershey's Mennonite Ancestry." Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage. Volume 28, Number 3 (July 2005). Pages 42-47., page 42.
3. Kendig, James Willis. "Milton Snavely Hershey's Mennonite Ancestry." Pennsylvania Mennonite Heritage. Volume 28, Number 3 (July 2005). Pages 42-47., page 42.