Will Keith Kellogg

His first marriage was to Ella Davis in 1880. The couple had five children, three of the children predeceased him. Ella died in 1912.

He tied the knot with Carrie Staines Kellogg in 1918.

He lived a long life, and spent most of his later years engaged in philanthropic endeavors. W. K. Kellogg died at the age of 91 in Battle Creek, Michigan, on October 6, 1951.

Will Keith Kellogg was born on April 7, 1860, in Battle Creek, Michigan, to Ann Janette and John Preston Kellogg as the seventh of their 16 children. His father had a broom-manufacturing business and both his parents were staunch Seventh Day Adventists who believed Christ's Second Coming was imminent.

Will was interested in business affairs from a young age and by the time he was 13, he was frequenting local grocery stores selling his father's brooms. He dropped out of school in his mid-teens and joined his father’s business.

Will Keith Kellogg worked with his father until 1880. Then he went on to complete a three-month program at Parson's Business College in nearly Kalamazoo. By this time his elder brother John had graduated from medical school and had taken over the Adventist Health Reform Institute which was renamed the Battle Creek Sanitarium. John Kellogg advocated a lifestyle that relied on a vegetarian diet, fresh air, and plenty of exercise.

W.K. Kellogg joined his brother at the sanitarium. The sanitarium was a popular one, and since John did not have time for its routine operations, he appointed Will as the business manager. The younger Kellogg diligently performed the routine operations of the health centre and put in long hours of hard work. However, he did not receive the recognition he deserved and his pay was also low.

At this time Dr. John Kellogg was experimenting with new foods and was trying to develop healthy vegetarian foods to serve to his patients. In 1894, Will accidentally discovered the method of making toasted wheat flakes which proved to be a nutritious breakfast product. The brothers were delighted at this discovery and soon realized that the process worked just as well with oats, rice and corn.

The Kellogg brothers started the Sanitas Food Company around 1897 which promoted their whole grain cereals as a healthy and convenient breakfast option. W.K. Kellogg had great persuasive skills and he helped market the cereals to the target consumers.

W.K. Kellogg realized that the process of making cereals held great commercial potential and faced the threat of being copied by others, so he asked his brother to keep the process of making the cereals a secret. John however disagreed and took no steps to guard the secret.

W. K. Kellogg is best known as the founder of the Kellogg Company which produces a variety of cereal and convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, and fruit-flavored snacks. The company’s products are manufactured in 18 countries and marketed in over 180 countries.