H. B. Reese
H. B. Reese | |
|---|---|
 H.B. Reese biography | |
| Born | Harry Burnett Reese May 24, 1879 York County, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 16, 1956 (aged 76) West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | H.B. Reese, HB Reese, Harry Burnett Reese, Harry Reese, Poppy Reese, Mr. Reese's |
| Occupation | Confectioner |
| Known for | Inventing Reese's Peanut Butter Cups |
| Title | Founder and Chairman of the Board, H.B. Reese Candy Company, Hershey, PA |
| Spouse | Blanche Edna (Hyson) Reese |
| Children | Mary Elizabeth Reese Pearson, Robert Hyson Reese, John Manifold Reese, Anna Alfreda Reese Twohig, Edward Irons Reese, Marjorie Marie Reese Staggs, Ralph Collins Reese, Helen Grace Reese Carson, Clara Louise Reese Lauzon, Frances Turner Reese Hoke, Rose Amos Reese Rippon, Mildred Jane Reese, Harry Burnett Reese Jr., Thomas Reese, William Reese, Charles Richard Reese |
| Parent(s) | Aquilla Asbury Reese, Annie Belinda Manifold |
| Website | www.HarryBurnettReese.info |
Harry Burnett "H. B." Reese (May 24, 1879 – May 16, 1956, aged 76) was an American inventor and businessman known for creating Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and founding the H. B. Reese Candy Company.[1]
He was born in York County, Pennsylvania on an agricultural and dairy farm.[1] He was the son of Annie Belinda (Manifold) and Aquilla Asbury Reese.[2] He married Blanche Edna (Hyson) Reese on August 1, 1900.[1] H.B Reese invented Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in 1928.[1]
He first moved to Hershey, Pennsylvania in 1917, where he enjoyed a relatively prosperous job on a dairy farm owned by The Hershey Company until the farm was closed by Hershey's.[1] Not long after moving his family to Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, Reese moved back to Hershey, again working for Hershey's.[1] Always an entrepreneur and inspired by his work, Reese began experimenting with candies in his basement, by 1923 he created the H. B. Reese Candy Company.[1] He built a new home and factory for his growing business in 1926, selling a large assortment of candies.[1] By 1928, H. B. and Blanche had sixteen children.[1] That same year, H. B. Reese invented Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.[1] H.B. Reese initially sold his many candies on consignment to retail stores, but by 1935 he was a success and was able to burn all his mortgages.[1][clarification needed]
During World War II, economic constraints and scarcity of materials led him to discontinue his other candies and concentrate solely on his peanut butter cups, his most popular offering.[1]
Death
Reese died on May 16, 1956 of a heart attack in West Palm Beach, Florida, eight days before his 77th birthday.[3]
