Sweet Success: Milton Hershey's Legacy of Generosity

In 1900, Milton S. Hershey sold his thriving caramel company for $1 million—then bet everything on chocolate. By 1915, he'd built the world's largest chocolate factory. Then he gave it all away: $60 million placed in trust for orphaned boys, creating what's now America's richest private school.

Born in 1857 to a strict Mennonite mother and a dreamer father, Milton Hershey failed twice at candy making before finally succeeding with the Lancaster Caramel Company. But his true legacy wasn't chocolate—it was the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Hershey Industrial School (now Milton Hershey School), which still educates 2,000 students annually, completely free. Everything from enrollment to clothing comes from the $20+ billion Hershey Trust.

In an era dominated by robber barons like Citizen Kane, Milton Hershey represents the opposite archetype: the capitalist who built an empire specifically to give it away. His story reveals that American industrial success and genuine philanthropy weren't mutually exclusive—when one man chose generosity over greed.

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In This Episode:

• How Milton Hershey's multiple business failures shaped his eventual success
• The million-dollar gamble: selling a thriving caramel empire to bet on chocolate
• Building a model town from scratch in rural Pennsylvania dairy country
• The creation of the Hershey Industrial School, now America's wealthiest private school
• Why Hershey chose philanthropy over fortune, and how his legacy continues today

Key Figures:

• Milton S. Hershey (1857-1945) - Chocolate entrepreneur and philanthropist who gave away his entire fortune
• Catherine "Kitty" Swini Hershey - Milton's wife, partner in philanthropic vision
• Amy Ziegler - Senior Director of the Hershey Story Museum (interview subject for this episode)

Timeline:

• 1857: Milton Hershey born to Mennonite family in Pennsylvania
• 1876: First candy shop in Philadelphia during Centennial Exposition (failed)
• 1886: Second candy shop in New York City (failed, declared bankruptcy)
• 1886: Third attempt - Lancaster Caramel Company founded (success!)
• 1894: Lancaster Caramel Company reaches 1,300 employees
• 1897: Milton meets Catherine "Kitty" Swini in Jamestown, New York
• 1898: Milton and Kitty marry at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
• 1900: Sold Lancaster Caramel Company for $1 million to focus on chocolate
• 1903: Broke ground for Hershey chocolate factory in Dairy Township, Pennsylvania
• 1905: Hershey chocolate factory opens
• 1906: Hershey Park opens as recreational space for employees and community
• 1909: Milton and Kitty founded Hershey Industrial School for orphan boys
• 1915: Kitty Hershey died; Milton continued her philanthropic vision
• 1915: Hershey Chocolate Company becomes world's largest chocolate factory
• 1918: Milton transferred his entire $60 million fortune (equivalent to billions today) to the school's trust
• 1930s: During Great Depression, Hershey built community infrastructure (theater, hotel, schools) to employ residents
• 1945: Milton Hershey died at age 88
• Today: Milton Hershey School enrolls 2,000 students annually, trust valued at $20+ billion

Contemporary Impact:

The Milton Hershey School continues its founder's extraordinary mission more than a century later. The school:

• Enrolls 2,000 students annually from low-income families or who are orphaned
• Provides everything completely free: tuition, housing, meals, books, clothing, and supplies
• Operates with a trust endowment exceeding $20 billion
• Stands as the wealthiest private school in America
• Fulfills Milton Hershey's vision: "It shall not be what we give, but what we share"

The town of Hershey, Pennsylvania remains a testament to planned industrial communities that prioritized worker welfare, with tree-lined streets named after cacao-growing regions, Hershey Kiss-shaped streetlights, and a thriving tourist destination centered on chocolate heritage.

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