He was one of America's truly great entrepreneurs. He made excellent quality chocolate available to the common man when previously only the rich could afford it. He cared for his employees' quality of life and well being at a time when business owners were known to be ruthless and abused their workers. Milton Hershey was born in a Pennsylvania farmhouse and completed only the fourth grade before he was put to work as a printer's apprentice. But by the age of 18, Milton had discovered his unique calling: He would manufacture delicious, affordable confections. With a combination of ingenuity and persistence, he built his Hershey Chocolate Company into a bustling enterprise for himself and his workers an empire with a bank, department store, park, churches, golf courses, a zoo, even a trolley system.
