Frank Gerber

He began his career in the family's tannery business at age 16, then helped to found the Fremont Canning Company to bring local produce to market. He became president in 1917, but it wasn't until Gerber became a grandpa ten years later that the company began selling baby food. By 1941, the baby food was more popular than the adult line, and in 1943 the company began devoting itself exclusively to baby foods.