Born in 1873, William F.R. Murrie started his working life at 16 as a telegraph apprentice. He moved up to train dispatcher on the railroad, then joined a Pittsburgh confectionery firm as a salesman and became its top performer within a year. His talent caught the eye of Milton Hershey, who hired him away in the mid-1890s. According to one well-known story, in his first week on the job, Murrie sold more than the plant could produce, and Hershey knew he had found someone special.
The two men worked side by side at a shared double desk, first in Lancaster and later in Hershey, building the chocolate business together. Murrie even served as a go-between when Milton was courting his future wife, Catherine. He was promoted to president of the Hershey Chocolate Company in 1908, at only 35, and held the job until he retired in 1947.
The partnership worked because each man played to his strengths. Milton wasn’t much interested in the finance and math side of the business, preferring to focus on improving candies and creating new products. Murrie ran the company, built a sales force that called on any store owner or bowling alley with enough counter space, and successfully carried out what Milton Hershey invented, leaving Hershey free to build the town and start his school. He was known for extreme punctuality and legendary frugality.
His family also left a mark on candy history. His son Bruce teamed up with Forrest Mars to secure scarce chocolate during the war years for a new product: M&M’s, for Mars and Murrie. Murrie died in 1950.
William Murrie’s story is covered in a Deeply Driven bonus episode.
Source Book
The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars
-> Amazon Affiliate Link <-
100% of commissions will be donated to help support Children’s Literacy!
