Will Keith Kellogg
Encyclopedia
Will Keith Kellogg, generally referred to as W.K. Kellogg (April 7, 1860 – October 6, 1951) was an American
industrialist in food manufacturing, best known as the founder of the Kellogg Company
, which to this day produces a wide variety of popular breakfast cereal
s. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
and practiced vegetarianism
as a dietary principle taught by his church. Later, he founded the Kellogg Arabian Ranch
and made it into a renowned establishment for breeding of Arabian horse
s. Kellogg started the Kellogg Foundation in 1934 with $66 million in Kellogg company stock and investments, a donation that would be worth over a billion dollars in today's economy. Kellogg continued to be a major philanthropist throughout his life.
to help his brother John Harvey Kellogg
run the Battle Creek Sanitarium
. The Sanitarium was part of a pioneering effort by the Seventh-day Adventist church to attempt to make modern, commercial cereal foods based on grains. Together they pioneered the process of making flaked cereal
. Because of the commercial potential of the discovery, Will wanted it kept a secret. John, however, allowed anyone in the sanitarium to observe the flaking process and one sanitarium guest, C.W. Post, copied the process to start his own company. The company became Post Cereals
and later General Foods
, the source of Post's first million dollars. This upset Kellogg to the extent that he left the sanitarium to create his own company.
, as a healthy breakfast food. They started the Sanitas Food Company around 1897, focusing on the production of their whole grain cereals. At the time, the standard breakfast for the well-off was eggs and meat, and the poor ate porridge
, farina
, gruel
and other boiled grains. The brothers eventually argued over the addition of sugar to their product. In 1906 Will founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, later becoming the Kellogg Company
.
In 1930 he established the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ultimately donating $66 million to it. His company was one of the first to put nutrition labels on foods. He also offered the first prize
for children inside the box. Kellogg said, "I will invest my money in people."
During the Great Depression
, Kellogg directed his cereal plant to work four shifts, each lasting six hours. This gave more people in Battle Creek the opportunity to work during that time.
s. In 1925, he purchased 377 acres (1.5 km²) for $250,000 in Pomona, California
, to establish an Arabian horse ranch
. Starting with breeding stock descended from the imports of Homer Davenport
and W.R. Brown, Kellogg then looked to England
, where he purchased a significant number of horses from the Crabbet Arabian Stud
, making multiple importations during the 1920s. The Kellogg ranch became well-known in southern California not only for its horse breeding
program but also for its entertaining, weekly horse exhibitions, open to the public and frequently visited by assorted Hollywood celebrities. Among many other connections to Hollywood, the actor Rudolph Valentino
borrowed the Kellogg stallion, "Jadaan," for use in his 1926 movie, Son of the Sheik, along with a Kellogg employee, Carl Raswan
, who rode in certain scenes as Valentino's stunt double.
In 1932, Kellogg donated the ranch, which had grown to 750 acres (3 km²), to the University of California
. During World War II
, the ranch was taken over by the U.S. War Department and was known as the Pomona Quartermaster Depot (Remount).
In 1948, the ranch was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
; and in 1949, the land was deeded to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Later in 1949, title to the then 813 acres (3.3 km²) ranch and horses was passed to the State of California
, with the provision that the herd of Arabian horses must be maintained. The ranch became part of the Voorhis unit of what was then known as the California State Polytechnic College
in San Luis Obispo
. This became known as the Kellogg campus, and in 1966 it separated to form California State Polytechnic College Pomona (now California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
).
Some of Kellogg's property near Battle Creek, Michigan
, was donated to Michigan State College (later known as Michigan State University
) and is now the Kellogg Biological Station
.
The philanthropy of W. K. Kellogg is recognized as instrumental to the founding of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
(Cal Poly Pomona) and Kellogg College, Oxford
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
industrialist in food manufacturing, best known as the founder of the Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
, which to this day produces a wide variety of popular breakfast cereal
Breakfast cereal
A breakfast cereal is a food made from processed grains that is often, but not always, eaten with the first meal of the day. It is often eaten cold, usually mixed with milk , water, or yogurt, and sometimes fruit but sometimes eaten dry. Some cereals, such as oatmeal, may be served hot as porridge...
s. He was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
and practiced vegetarianism
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
as a dietary principle taught by his church. Later, he founded the Kellogg Arabian Ranch
W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center
The W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center is a research facility on the campus of the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona which specializes on equine studies, breeding and research.-History:...
and made it into a renowned establishment for breeding of Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
s. Kellogg started the Kellogg Foundation in 1934 with $66 million in Kellogg company stock and investments, a donation that would be worth over a billion dollars in today's economy. Kellogg continued to be a major philanthropist throughout his life.
Early career
As a young businessman, Kellogg started out selling brooms, before moving to Battle Creek, MichiganBattle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
to help his brother John Harvey Kellogg
John Harvey Kellogg
John Harvey Kellogg was an American medical doctor in Battle Creek, Michigan, who ran a sanitarium using holistic methods, with a particular focus on nutrition, enemas and exercise. Kellogg was an advocate of vegetarianism and is best known for the invention of the corn flakes breakfast cereal...
run the Battle Creek Sanitarium
Battle Creek Sanitarium
The Battle Creek Sanitarium, in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States, first opened on September 5, 1866, as the Western Health Reform Institute, based on the health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1876, John Harvey Kellogg became the superintendent, and his brother, W....
. The Sanitarium was part of a pioneering effort by the Seventh-day Adventist church to attempt to make modern, commercial cereal foods based on grains. Together they pioneered the process of making flaked cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
. Because of the commercial potential of the discovery, Will wanted it kept a secret. John, however, allowed anyone in the sanitarium to observe the flaking process and one sanitarium guest, C.W. Post, copied the process to start his own company. The company became Post Cereals
Post Cereals
Post Foods, LLC, also known as Post Cereals is a food company that was founded by C.W. Post in 1895 with the first Postum, a "cereal beverage," developed by Post in Battle Creek, Michigan. The first cereal, Grape-Nuts, was developed in 1897. Post has its headquarters in the Bank of America Plaza...
and later General Foods
General Foods
General Foods Corporation was a company whose direct predecessor was established in the USA by Charles William Post as the Postum Cereal Company in 1895. The name General Foods was adopted in 1929, after several corporate acquisitions...
, the source of Post's first million dollars. This upset Kellogg to the extent that he left the sanitarium to create his own company.
Kellogg cereals
With the help of his brother John, Will Kellogg promoted cereals, especially corn flakesCorn flakes
Corn flakes are a popular breakfast cereal originally manufactured by Kellogg's through the treatment of maize. A patent for the product was filed on May 31, 1895, and issued on April 14, 1896.-History:...
, as a healthy breakfast food. They started the Sanitas Food Company around 1897, focusing on the production of their whole grain cereals. At the time, the standard breakfast for the well-off was eggs and meat, and the poor ate porridge
Porridge
Porridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
, farina
Farina (food)
Farina is a cereal food, frequently described as mild-tasting, usually served warm, made from cereal grains. In contemporary American English use, the word usually refers to Cream of Wheat made from soft wheat. Wheat farina is a carbohydrate-rich food, often cooked in boiling water and served warm...
, gruel
Gruel
Gruel is a food preparation consisting of some type of cereal—oat, wheat or rye flour, or rice—boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk than eaten and need not even be cooked...
and other boiled grains. The brothers eventually argued over the addition of sugar to their product. In 1906 Will founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company, later becoming the Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company
Kellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
.
In 1930 he established the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, ultimately donating $66 million to it. His company was one of the first to put nutrition labels on foods. He also offered the first prize
Prize (marketing)
Prizes are promotional items—small toys, games, trading cards, collectables, and other small items of nominal value—found in packages of brand-name retail products that are included in the price of the product with the intent to boost sales...
for children inside the box. Kellogg said, "I will invest my money in people."
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Kellogg directed his cereal plant to work four shifts, each lasting six hours. This gave more people in Battle Creek the opportunity to work during that time.
Arabian horse breeder
Kellogg had a long interest in Arabian horseArabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
s. In 1925, he purchased 377 acres (1.5 km²) for $250,000 in Pomona, California
Pomona, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Pomona had a population of 149,058, a slight decline from the 2000 census population. The population density was 6,491.2 people per square mile...
, to establish an Arabian horse ranch
W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center
The W. K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Center is a research facility on the campus of the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona which specializes on equine studies, breeding and research.-History:...
. Starting with breeding stock descended from the imports of Homer Davenport
Homer Davenport
Homer Calvin Davenport was a political cartoonist from the United States. He was known for his satirical drawings and support of Progressive Era politics. A native Oregonian, he worked for several West Coast newspapers before being hired by William Randolph Hearst and the New York Evening Journal...
and W.R. Brown, Kellogg then looked to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where he purchased a significant number of horses from the Crabbet Arabian Stud
Crabbet Arabian Stud
The Crabbet Arabian Stud, also known as the Crabbet Park Stud, was a horse breeding farm established on 2 July 1878 when the first Arabian horses brought to England by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt and Lady Anne Blunt arrived at Crabbet Park, their estate in Sussex...
, making multiple importations during the 1920s. The Kellogg ranch became well-known in southern California not only for its horse breeding
Horse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
program but also for its entertaining, weekly horse exhibitions, open to the public and frequently visited by assorted Hollywood celebrities. Among many other connections to Hollywood, the actor Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
borrowed the Kellogg stallion, "Jadaan," for use in his 1926 movie, Son of the Sheik, along with a Kellogg employee, Carl Raswan
Carl Raswan
Carl Reinhard Raswan , born Carl Reinhard Schmidt, was one of the greatest connoisseurs and patrons of the asil Arabian horse. He was also a writer and author of numerous books on Arabian horses and the Bedouin people...
, who rode in certain scenes as Valentino's stunt double.
In 1932, Kellogg donated the ranch, which had grown to 750 acres (3 km²), to the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the ranch was taken over by the U.S. War Department and was known as the Pomona Quartermaster Depot (Remount).
In 1948, the ranch was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
; and in 1949, the land was deeded to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Later in 1949, title to the then 813 acres (3.3 km²) ranch and horses was passed to the State of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, with the provision that the herd of Arabian horses must be maintained. The ranch became part of the Voorhis unit of what was then known as the California State Polytechnic College
California Polytechnic State University
California Polytechnic State University, or Cal Poly, is a public university located in San Luis Obispo, California, United States. The university is one of two polytechnic campuses in the 23-member California State University system....
in San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...
. This became known as the Kellogg campus, and in 1966 it separated to form California State Polytechnic College Pomona (now California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, or Cal Poly Pomona, is a public university located in Pomona, California, United States...
).
Some of Kellogg's property near Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek, Michigan
Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...
, was donated to Michigan State College (later known as Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
) and is now the Kellogg Biological Station
Kellogg Biological Station
Kellogg Biological Station , Michigan State University's largest off-campus education complex, is located in Hickory Corners, Michigan . Many of the facilities there were originally built by Will Keith Kellogg of Kellogg's cereal, after whom the station is named...
.
Death
Will Keith Kellogg died at the age of 91 in Battle Creek, Michigan on October 6, 1951, of heart failure.Philanthropy
The Kellogg Foundation quotes W.K. as follows:It is my hope that the property that kind Providence has brought me may be helpful to many others, and that I may be found a faithful steward.
The philanthropy of W. K. Kellogg is recognized as instrumental to the founding of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, or Cal Poly Pomona, is a public university located in Pomona, California, United States...
(Cal Poly Pomona) and Kellogg College, Oxford
Kellogg College, Oxford
Kellogg College is one of the largest and most international graduate constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Kellogg College is a graduate college and admissions are not open to undergraduates. The college focuses on the concept of higher, postgraduate and lifelong learning...
.
See also
- Kellogg CompanyKellogg CompanyKellogg Company , is a producer of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, fruit-flavored snacks, frozen waffles, and vegetarian foods...
- W. K. Kellogg FoundationW. K. Kellogg FoundationThe W.K. Kellogg Foundation was founded in June 1930 as the W.K. Kellogg Child Welfare Foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer Will Keith Kellogg. In 1934, Kellogg donated more than $66 million in Kellogg Company stock and other investments to the W.K. Kellogg Trust...
- Kellogg College, OxfordKellogg College, OxfordKellogg College is one of the largest and most international graduate constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Kellogg College is a graduate college and admissions are not open to undergraduates. The college focuses on the concept of higher, postgraduate and lifelong learning...