Notable people · Inventor · Business Founder · Lawyer
Henry Perky
Henry Drushel Perky was born in Salt Creek Township, Holmes County. A lawyer and vegetarian, he developed shredded wheat and the machines to make it, and founded a company that sold it.
At a glance
- Born
- 1843-12-07
- Died
- 1906-06-29
- Education
- Law study; admitted to Nebraska bar, Nebraska
- Known as
- Inventor, Business Founder, Lawyer
- Organizations
- Shredded wheat company
Life story
Henry Drushel Perky was born in 1843 in Salt Creek Township, Holmes County, the son of Daniel Jefferson Perky and Magdalena Drushel. He studied law and married Susanna Melissa Crow in 1865.
He moved to Nebraska, where he was elected to the state senate in 1868 at age 25, and in 1880 to Colorado as a railroad attorney. In 1892 he developed the idea of shredded wheat with William H. Ford and showed a machine at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition.
He opened a bakery in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1895 and built a large factory he called the Palace of Light at Niagara Falls in 1901. He retired in 1902. He also wrote a book on nutrition and oral health.
He died in 1906 and is buried in Glencoe, Maryland.
Timeline
- 1843-12-07: Born (Salt Creek Township, OH) source
- 1865-08-03: Marries Susanna Melissa Crow source
- 1868: Elected to the Nebraska State Senate (Nebraska) source
- 1880: Moves to Colorado as a railroad attorney (Colorado) source
- 1892: Develops shredded wheat with William H. Ford (Denver, CO) source
- 1893: Shows his machine at the Columbian Exposition (Chicago, IL) source
- 1895: Opens a bakery (Worcester, MA) source
- 1901: Builds the Palace of Light factory (Niagara Falls, NY) source
- 1906-06-29: Dies (Glencoe, MD) source
What Henry is known for
- Developed shredded wheat with William H. Ford in 1892
- Held more than 45 U.S. patents on cereal machinery
- Built the Palace of Light factory at Niagara Falls in 1901
- Shredded wheat and its machinery (45+ U.S. patents)
- Wisdom vs. Foolishness (book, 10+ editions)
Family
- wife: Susanna Melissa Crow
- son: Scott Henry Perky
Ohio places
Where Henry Perky was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Salt Creek Township, Holmes County ZIP 44660 · Holmes County
- Worked: Worcester, MA, Worcester (Massachusetts) County
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Henry Perky birth, family, law career, shredded wheat development, patents, factories, death