Henry Perky: The Shredded Wheat King

In this installment of ‘Profiles in History,’ we meet a young lawyer and politician whose inquisitive mind revolutionized breakfast.
Henry Perky: The Shredded Wheat King
A color postcard advertising Shredded Wheat, a breakfast cereal produced near Niagara Falls, New York, circa 1901-1928. Archive Photos/Getty Images
Dustin Bass
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From law practice to rail cars to politics, Henry Drushel Perky (1843–1906) was a man of many pursuits. His drive to succeed in whatever he aimed to do led him to change the most important part of everyone’s day: breakfast.

Born in 1843 in Holmes County, Ohio, Perky’s childhood life appears rather obscure. When he was 18 years old, however, he did participate in the Civil War for the Union, according to the Worcester Historical Museum. His time in the war appears rather brief: He was honorably discharged in 1862. In 1865, he married Susanna Melissa Crow with whom he had one son, Scott Henry Perky (1880–1958).
Dustin Bass
Dustin Bass
Author
Dustin Bass is the creator and host of the American Tales podcast, and co-founder of The Sons of History. He writes two weekly series for The Epoch Times: Profiles in History and This Week in History. He is also an author.