William Procter

popular name: Oliver Winchester

date_of_death: December 10, 1880

age: 70

cause_of_death: Long term illness

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Oliver Fisher Winchester was an American businessman and politician, best known as the founder of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in New Haven, Connecticut. Interesting to note that repeating rifles were used to some extent in the American Civil War. However, the United States Army at that time did not use many repeating rifles as they were expensive and too advanced for the outdated tactics used in the war. Repeating rifles were not widely used until after the war when they became increasingly popular with civilians. Military authorities concentrated primarily on perfecting breech-loading single shot rifles for many more years. With thousands of rifles in the hands of the average pioneer, the Winchester repeating rifles gained a reputation as "The Gun that Won the West". Oliver Winchester was also active in politics, serving as a New Haven City Commissioner, Republican Presidential elector in 1864, and as Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1866 to 1867.

popular name: Rowland H. Macy

date_of_death: March 29, 1877

age: 54

cause_of_death: Bright's disease (kidney failure)

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Rowland H. Macy (1822–1877) was an American businessman best known as the founder of Macy’s department store. Born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, he began his career at sea as a whaler before turning to retail. Macy opened a series of small shops, most of which failed, before achieving success with his New York City store, R.H. Macy & Co., founded in 1858 on Sixth Avenue. His innovative business practices—such as fixed prices, cash sales (no credit), and extensive advertising—helped revolutionize retail and set the foundation for the modern department store. Macy’s business thrived, and his store became a landmark of American consumer culture. Rowland H. Macy died in 1877 in Paris, France, reportedly of Bright’s disease (a kidney ailment). After his death, his store continued to grow under Isidor and Nathan Straus, eventually becoming one of the largest and most iconic retail chains in the world. Today visitors can view the grave of Rowland Macy at the historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York

popular name: Franklin Clarence Mars

date_of_death: April 8, 1934

age: 50

cause_of_death: Heart and Kidney issues

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Franklin Clarence Mars was an American entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Mars, Inc., multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products. As a child recovering from polio, he learned to hand-dip chocolate with his mother—a skill that ignited his lifelong passion for candy-making. At 19, he began selling molasses chips, which set him on a path to confectionery innovation. In 1911, alongside his second wife Ethel Veronica Healy, Mars established the Mars Candy Factory in Tacoma, Washington, though early competition forced its relocation. By 1920, the company moved to Minneapolis under the name Mar‑O‑Bar Co., later incorporating as Mars, Inc.. Mars’s breakthrough came in 1923 with the Milky Way bar—conceived from a suggestion by his son Forrest—a chocolate, caramel, and nougat confection that propelled his company to national success. He followed this triumph with the introduction of the Snickers bar in 1930, named after the family’s favorite horse. Mars later settled in Chicago (River Forest, Illinois), where he became an honorary captain of the Oak Park police. Beyond candy, he invested in his passion for horse breeding and ranching, establishing the sprawling Milky Way Farm in Tennessee—complete with barns, clubhouse, and racetrack. He remained actively involved in both his business and agricultural pursuits until his death at age 50 from heart and kidney issues at Johns Hopkins Hospital.