Edward Frederic “E.F.” Benson (1867 - 1940)

Author and Biographer. Son of Archbishop Benson, the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the most prolific of the three Benson brothers who wrote and were published; his works include a number of ghost stories, the social comedies “Mapp & Lucia” and a range of biographies and autobiographies. He was thrice Mayor of Rye, in East […]

Arthur Christopher Benson (1862 - 1925)

Educator, Author. Master of Magdalene College Cambridge and writer (including the words ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ to Elgar’s first ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ march). (bio by: David Conway)  Family links:  Parents:  Edward White Benson (1829 – 1896)  Mary Sidgwick Benson (1841 – 1918)  Siblings:  Martin White Benson (1860 – 1878)*  Arthur Christopher Benson (1862 – […]

Jay Bennett (1912 - 2009)

Author. A mystery writer, he was a two-time recipient of The Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Juvenile Fiction with his novels “The Long Black Coat” (1974) and “The Dangling Witness” (1975). Born in New York City, he began his career as a scriptwriter in radio gradually moving to television, where he contributed to the […]

James Gordon Bennett, Sr (1795 - 1872)

Journalist. He founded the “New York Herald” newspaper in 1835.  Family links:  Children:  James Gordon Bennett (1841 – 1918)*  Jeanette Gordon Bennett Bell (1855 – 1936)* *Calculated relationship

Henry Holcomb Bennett (1863 - 1924)

Author, Journalist, Poet. Author of the patriotic poem, “Hats Off– The Flag Goes By.”  Family links:  Parents:  John Briscoe Henry Bennett (1821 – 1903)  Eliza Jane McClintick Bennett (1829 – 1913)

Dr Gottfried Benn (1886 - 1956)

Poet and Physician. German military surgeon on duty at the execution of Edith Cavell in World War I.  Family links:  Spouse:  Ilse Kaul Benn (1913 – 1995)* *Calculated relationship

Ernest Benn (1875 - 1954)

Author.  He served as a civil servant in the Ministry of Munitions and Reconstruction during World War I when he became convinced of the benefits of state intervention in economics. His views altered in the 1920s when he became a follower of classical liberalism. He was the author of more than twenty books and many […]

Adolph Zukor (1873 - 1976)

Film producer and executive. His Famous Players merged with a company owned by Jesse Lasky, eventually becoming Paramount. Became board chairman in 1935.  Family links:  Spouse:  Lottie Kaufman Zukor (1875 – 1956)* *Calculated relationship

Harold Zinkin, Sr (1922 - 2004)

He was a fitness pioneer with the invention of the Universal Gym Machine where you can do several exercises on one piece of equipment. He was crowned the first Mr. California in the state bodybuilding contest. He was a regular member of the Muscle Beach which inspired the fitness movement in this country. He moved […]

Walter Philip Zeller (1890 - 1957)

Businessman. A native of Waterloo County, near the city of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, he was the founder of the Zellers chain of thrift stores. Founded in 1931 as a ‘thrift store’, it was originally called Zeller’s and then renamed Zellers to make it more bilingually appropriate. The company was concentrated in the area of Southern […]

Carl Zeiss (1816 - 1888)

German industrialist. Raised in Weimar, Germany, he gained worldwide attention as a notable lens maker and manufacturer of fine optical instruments. His lenses were high-quality and had a very large opening that allowed for very bright images. In 1846, Zeiss opened a workshop in Jena that at first only made lenses for microscopes, but later […]

Ron Zappe (1943 - 2010)

Entrepreneur. A native of Texas, he was running an oilfield service company when he went bankrupt in the oil bust of the early 1980s. In 1985, he decided to start a new venture as founder and president of Zapp’s Gourmet Potato Chip Company in Gramercy, Louisiana. His product line,  which included “Zapp’s Tiger Tators”, “Natural […]

Morris Bernard Zale (1901 - 1995)

Businessman. He co-founded the “Zale’s Jewelers” jewelry chain with his uncle, Samuel Kruger.  Family links:  Spouse:  Edna Lipshy Zale (1907 – 1996)*  Children:  Herschel Zale (1927 – 1930)* *Calculated relationship

David Gottlob Yuengling (1808 - 1877)

Businessman. He founded the Yuengling Beer Breweries. The German brewer David G. Jüngling immigrated to the United States in 1823 from Germany. He anglicized his surname from Jüngling to Yuengling and began the “Eagle Brewery” on Center Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania in 1829. The Eagle Brewery changed its name to “D.G. Yuengling and Son” in […]

Owen D Young (1874 - 1962)

Businessman. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of the General Electric Company, and founded the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) as a subsidiary of G.E in 1919, serving as its chairman until 1929. An important diplomat for United States in rebuilding of Europe, he devised the “Young Plan” for the payment of German World […]

Chaleo Yoovidhya (1923 - 2012)

Inventor, Businessman. Creator of the well known energy drink Red Bull. Born in Thailand into a poverty-stricken family of Chinese migrant laborers, little is recorded of his early years. He supported himself and his family with a series of jobs, such as bus conductor,  before launching a number of increasingly successful ventures. In 1962 he […]

Charles Tyson Yerkes (1837 - 1905)

Businessman. He was responsible for establishing streetcar lines in Chicago in the late 1880s and headed the syndicate that built the London Underground at the turn of the century. Labeled by some a “robber baron”, he was said to be the source of inspiration for Theodore Dreiser’s novels “The Financier” (1912), “The Titan” (1914), and […]

Hiroshi Yamauchi (1927 - 2013)

Businessman, Sports Team Owner. He served as president of the Nintendo Company from 1949 until 2002. In 1992, he acquired majority proprietorship of the Seattle Mariners. After leaving Waseda University, he succeeded his grandfather as the third president of Nintendo and during his tenure at that capacity, the company which originally made playing cards went […]

Thomas H. Wyman (1929 - 2003)

Noted business magnate. Mr. Wyman had been the CEO of many different companies, including CBS, Green Giant, and S.G. Warburg & Co. Inc.  Mr. Wyman also served as a board member for multiple companies, including General Motors Corporation, Hughes Electronics Corporation, Scott Paper Company, Norton Company, Toro, Norwest Bank, The Boston Company, Green Giant Company, […]

Robert J. Wussler (1936 - 2010)

Broadcast Executive. He was a former president of the Columbia Broadcast System (CBS) Television Network, and co-founder of the Cable News Network (CNN) along with Ted Turner. He joined CBS as a mailroom assistant following graduation from Seton Hall University in 1957, before rising through the ranks to head the CBS news and sports divisions. […]

Rudolph Wurlitzer (1831 - 1914)

Founder of The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company. Makers of musical instruments for bands, carousels, and theaters. His three sons Howard, Rudolph, and Farny were also part of the company.  (bio by: Paul Deluca)  Family links:  Children:  Howard W. Wurlitzer (1871 – 1928)*  Rudolph H. Wurlitzer (1873 – 1948)*  Percival Wurlitzer (1877 – 1878)*  Farny Reginald Wurlitzer […]

William Wrigley, Jr (1861 - 1932)

Industrialist, Entrepreneur.  The Philadelphia born youngster was put to work in his father’s soap factory after being expelled from grammar school doing menial labor. At age thirteen William left home and sold his father’s soap door-to-door from a two horse wagon in rural Pennsylvania, New York and New England.   After years of giving away […]

Philip K. Wrigley (1894 - 1977)

Chewing Gum Mogul, Major League Baseball Executive. He was born Philip Knight Wrigley in the Plaza Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, the son of the founder of Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company and owner of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball team. He never attended college and at the age of 20 he went to Australia to […]

Alfred Wright (1830 - 1891)

Businessman. He was a successful perfume manufacturer and a deeply religious man, who found that many of his employees were not attending church on Sunday mornings because they were too tired after long hours working the other six days a week. As a result, he ordered all his factories to be closed at noon on […]

Jack Wrather (1918 - 1984)

Oil millionaire. Producer. Built the Disneyland Hotel. Turned the RMS Queen Mary and Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose” into tourist attractions.  Family links:  Parents:  John Deveraux Wrather (1871 – 1945)  Ada Mazie Cogdell Wrather (1890 – 1965)  Spouses:  Molly O’ Daniel Danielson (1922 – 1996)  Bonita Granville (1923 – 1988)*  Children:  John Deveraux Wrather (1944 – […]

Cal Worthington (1920 - 2013)

Television Personality, Automobile Dealer.  Worthington landed his first job was as a water boy on a road construction crew for 15 cents an hour, joined the Civilian Conservation Corps at the age of 15 and later served as a second Lieutenant in the United States Army in World War II, flying for the Army Air […]

Frank Winfield Woolworth (1852 - 1919)

Businessman. He is best known for founding the F.W. Woolworth Company that operated a chain of discount stores across the United States that specialized in marketing merchandise at the cost of five and ten cents. He was one of the first to practice buying merchandise directly from the manufacturers and establishing fixed prices on items […]

Orator Francis Woodward (1856 - 1906)

Businessman. He founded and owned the Genesee Pure Food Company, and his marketing of “jell-o” made it a household dessert in the United States.  Family links:  Parents:  Abner Tarbell Woodward (1821 – 1865)  Phebe J Lyman Woodward (1820 – 1902)  Siblings:  Lyman Jones Woodward (1847 – 1918)*  Luther Woodward (1849 – 1904)*  Josephine Woodward (1851 […]

Robert Winship Woodruff (1889 - 1985)

Businessman. Served as President of the Coca Cola Company, and is credited with really building the company. Some of his early accomplishments was the pioneering use of service stations as major new retail outlets, and the use of the cooler and forced bottlers to comply with company standards that insured a uniform drink.  Family links: […]

Robert Elkington Wood (1879 - 1969)

Businessman. A graduate of the US Military Academy at West Point, New York, he was achieved the rank of Brigadier General in the United States Army. In 1924 he became vice-president and in 1928 president of Sears, Roebuck, a small rural mail-order company that soon became one of the great retail stores of the world.. […]