John Kellogg Net Worth
John Kellogg Net Worth stands as one of the greatest businessmen ever. Best known for breakfast cereals, his company ranks amongst the world’s largest. They produce corn flakes, wheaties, bran flakes and more; frozen foods soups and sauces also made by this giant company are widely known and manufactured too! In addition to his vast business success and generous philanthropy – having donated over a $1 billion over time! – Kellogg is also an active philanthropist having given back so much.
His charitable activities have greatly advanced medical care and education nationwide, while also being instrumental in shaping Seventh-day Adventist church practice. However, Kellogg was controversial for his religious views, often being accused of spreading strange doctrines that led the Battle Creek Sanitarium into conflict with church authorities.
Starting his business career by working at his father’s broom manufacturing plant, in 1855 he relocated to Battle Creek Michigan, purchasing land claims in Wightman where he established his first health food facility. He promoted natural healing methods and vegetarianism. Additionally, he advocated regular exercise, plenty of fresh air and sunshine exposure, drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water daily and abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea and coffee consumption. Kellogg founded and edited Good Health magazine from 1874 until his death 69 years later, publishing 50 books related to health-related subjects as well as pioneering “biologic living”, an approach now seen within organic farming and paleo dieting trends.
After his cereal company achieved great success, Kellogg used his fortune to improve health care and education in America. An early advocate of public health, he spent considerable time touring across America as an early supporter. Furthermore, he made great strides in advertising; spending massive sums to promote his cereal brands while creating cartoon mascots as advertising tools.
Kellogg was known for his outstanding generosity; he generously gave away much of his earnings to charitable organizations without being asked for anything in return. Furthermore, he was known to spend much time with his family and was particularly fond of animals such as German Shepherd Rin-Tin-Tin whom he adopted and cared for himself.
Kellogg began to put more of his assets toward charitable giving during his later years, leaving much of them to his foundation. He remained actively involved in his businesses by attending every board meeting and visiting grantees despite suffering from blindness from glaucoma. Working closely with staff despite becoming blind was important for Kellogg; even drawing sketches for future ad campaigns at Kellogg & Company!
Giles Kellogg also dabbled briefly in acting during the 1930s, appearing in several Broadway plays and the film Brother Rat. Sometimes credited as Giles Vernon Kellogg, his films featured several minor roles; such as Frank Reed from Season 6 episode of The Virginian and Mel Dover from Bonanza TV western series.