Whitney MacMillan born 25 September 1929 in Hennepin County, Minnesota and attended Yale University. He led the private corporation Cargill from 1976 through 1995. During 10 years of that period he saw the business grow from $10 billion to $33 billion via diversification. He eventually led Cargill to the top of the grain industry, beating out all of its European rivals and becoming the largest privately held company in the world.