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Will Keith Kellogg

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Will Keith Kellogg was a famous American businessman.

W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)
W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)

He founded the Kellogg Company to make breakfast cereals. He wanted to help people eat healthy food. Many people at that time ate meat for breakfast. Kellogg believed in eating whole grains instead. He was also a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. This church taught that being a vegetarian was a good way to live.

W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)
W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)

Kellogg and his brother John helped invent flaked cereal. This way of making food was a big discovery. At first, Will wanted to keep the secret to himself. However, John let guests see how it worked. One guest named C.W. Post saw the process. Post used the idea to start his own cereal company. This upset Will quite a bit. He left the family sanitarium to start his own business.

W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)
W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)

Will began his career selling brooms in Michigan. In 1878, he went to Texas to work at a broom factory. He returned home in 1879 to help his brother. They worked at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. This place focused on health and special diets. In 1906, Will started the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. This later became the famous Kellogg Company. He also put the first prizes inside cereal boxes for children.

W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)
W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)

Will had a huge passion for Arabian horses. In 1925, he spent $250,000 to buy a ranch in California. He brought many horses over from England to breed them. The ranch was very famous in southern California. Many Hollywood stars visited his weekly horse shows. Even the actor Rudolph Valentino used a Kellogg horse for a movie in 1926. In 1932, Will gave the ranch to the University of California. It is now part of the Cal Poly Pomona campus.

W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)
W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929)

Will was a very kind philanthropist. A philanthropist is someone who gives money to help others. In 1930, he started the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He gave $66 million to this foundation. He said he wanted to invest his money in people. During the Great Depression, he made sure his workers had jobs. He kept his cereal plant running with four different shifts. Will died in 1951 at the age of 91.

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File:W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929).PNG
W.K. Kellogg with Antez (1929).PNG
File:Grave of Will Keith Kellogg (1860–1951) at Oak Hill Cemetery, Battle Creek 1.jpg
Grave of Will Keith Kellogg (1860–1951)...
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