| William Horlick | |
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Portrait of William Horlick |
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| Born | 23 February 1846[1] Ruardean, Gloucestershire, England[2] |
| Died | 25 September 1936 (aged 90)[3] Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.[4] |
| Nationality | English[2] |
| Occupation | Food manufacturer[2] |
| Known for | Malted milk, Philanthropy[2] |
| Spouse | Arabella Horlick (1870-death)[5] |
William Horlick, Sr. (23 February 1846 – 25 September 1936)[1][2][3] was an English-born food manufacturer and the original patent holder of malted milk. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1869, settling in Racine, Wisconsin, where he started a food company with his brother, James. Horlick was a well-known philanthropist in the Racine area. He died September 25, 1936 at the age of ninety.[2][3][4] He was also a major sponsor of the Racine Legion, who played in the National Football League from 1922 until 1924.
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After immigrating to the U.S. in 1869, William settled in Racine. In 1872, he moved to Chicago to begin a food manufacturing business with his brother, James. This was the genesis of the Horlick Food Company, which the two founded in 1875, and moved to Racine in 1876. At around the same time, William began working on creating a dried milk product. This work culminated with a U.S. patent in 1883 and a product that was originally called "Diastoid," but was later trademarked as "malted milk" in 1887.[1][2][4][6]
The company continued to expand, with new branches opening in New York City in 1889 and in England in 1890. New manufacturing plants were also opened in Racine in 1902 and 1905. William served as the company's treasurer until his brother's death in 1921, at which time he became company president, holding that position until his death in 1936.[2]
Horlick was a prominent philanthropist, especially in the Racine area. Gifts in Racine include Memorial Hall, a maternity wing at St. Luke’s Hospital (in memory of his daughter Alice), Island Park, Horlick Athletic Field, and the land for the high school named in his honor (William Horlick High School).[2][4]
Horlick also supported several polar expeditions, including one to the Antarctic by Richard Byrd and another to the North Pole by Roald Amundsen. Horlick not only supported the expeditions financially, but his malted milk product also provided a non-perishable source of nutrition to the explorers. Because of his contributions, Byrd named the Horlick Mountains in Antarctica after William Horlick.[4][6]
In 1919, Holick sponsored the what was then called the "Horlick-Racine Legion". The team was sponsored by him and the American Legion Racine Post no. 76. Holick covered the debts incurred for operating the Racine Legion. He also gave free use of his athletic field to both the Horlick-Racine Legion and Racine Tornadoes Football teams. He spent large sums of money to convert Horlick Athletic Field to be accommodate professional football. He also spent over $100,000 for these expenses covering three 1920's seasons.[7]