Entrepreneur. He gained professional recognition as a chocolatier and became a candy magnate and philanthropist. He founded The Hershey Company, a confection manufacturer, which became one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. His candy-making career began with him working as an apprentice for Joseph Royer, a master confectioner in nearby Lancaster. In 1876, he opened his first candy business, which ended in bankruptcy. His first two candy companies were met with failure. He traveled west to Colorado, where he worked for a caramel maker, learning the trade. When he returned to Lancaster, he opened the Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886 and became wealthy by 1894. At that time, chocolate had to be imported, and it was considered a delicacy that was only available to the wealthy. At the 1893 World's Colombian Exhibition in Chicago, he was introduced to and later bought German chocolate machinery. By 1894, he was making 114 varieties of chocolate and founded the Hershey Chocolate Company. After selling his caramel business for $1 million in 1900, he had a new factory built in his hometown of Derry Township, which was completed in 1905, and he decided to build a town around his factory. By 1913, Hershey, Pennsylvania, had been well established with schools, churches, banks, hotels, and amusement parks. During the Depression Era of the 1930s, Hershey's factory expanded, and no one lost their jobs. In 1898, Milton married Catherine "Kitty" Sweeney, who he had met at a candy shop in New York while delivering one of his caramel orders. The couple was childless, and although he was a millionaire, he had no heirs. He and his wife founded the Hershey Industrial School to provide education and opportunity for orphaned boys in the community. After his wife's death, he left his fortune to the Hersey School Trust. He continued working as the head of the company until his death in 1945. By the time of his death, he had left his wealth to various projects, leaving him very little personal wealth except for his home. After his death, his beautiful home serves as the offices of the Hershey Trust Company. During World War II, Hershey backed the country's military efforts by supplying forces with chocolate bars called the Ration D Bar and the better-tasting Tropical Chocolate Bar.