Entrepreneur.  Founder of the Menier dynasty of chocolate makers.  Born in Germain-de-Bourgeuil,  France,  he was a largely self-schooled (and unlicensed) pharmacist who in 1816 set up shop selling medicinal products in Paris.  Much of his success derived from his use of chocolate to coat bitter-tasting pills.  In the late 1830s he began marketing solid bars of dark chocolate but considered this only a sideline.  He was awarded the Legion of Honor in 1842.  After Menier’s death his son,  Emile-Justin Menier,  eliminated pharmaceutical production and built the business into France’s largest chocolate manufacturer,  a position it would hold for nearly a century.  The Menier family sold out its interests in the early 1960s and the firm was eventually acquired by Nestlé. (bio by: Bobb Edwards)