Ralph Leroy "Roy" Nafziger (November 17, 1887 – September 17, 1965) was the founder of the

Interstate Bakeries Corporation Old HB, Inc., known as Hostess Brands from 2009 to 2013 and established in 1930 as Interstate Bakeries Corporation, was a wholesale baker and distributor of bakery products in the United States. Before its 2012 closure and liquidation, it owned ...

, which eventually became

Hostess Brands Hostess Brands Inc. is an American bakery company formed in 2013. Its main operating subsidiaries are Hostess Brands, LLC, and Voortman Cookies Limited. The company owns several bakeries in the United States that produce snack cakes under the ...

. Nafziger was born into a family of bakers on November 17, 1887, in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. He was studying Engineering and Architecture at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

when he was called home to assist with untangling the business affairs of his father,Reading Eagle - Mar 31, 1930
/ref> Edward Nafziger, who could not pay a chattel mortgage he had taken with a wholesale grocery company. Ralph Nafziger started selling bread on a route serviced by a horse and converted milk wagon. He would hire a worker to take over the route, build another one, and then repeat the process. Nafziger set up a second bakery in the basement of a burned out Christian church at 6th and Prospect Avenue in the Kansas City's Northeast Neighborhood. After initial success, Nafziger's Baking expanded and, in 1925, he merged his 10 baking plants with Purity Bakers. Nafziger’s architectural training allowed him to design some of his own plants In 1927, Nafziger bought a controlling interest in Schulze Baking. In 1930, Nafziger announced a merger between his Schulze Baking company and seven baking companies on the west coast of the United States. The new company was called the Interstate Bakeries Corporation. Baked goods were sold under the Hostess brand. In 1937, Nafziger started a snack cake brand in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

called

Dolly Madison Dolly Madison is an American bakery brand owned by Hostess Brands, selling packaged baked snack foods. It is best known for its long marketing association with the ''Peanuts'' animated TV specials. History In 1937, Ralph Leroy Nafziger started ...

, The name was inspired by first lady

Dolley Madison Dolley Todd Madison (née Payne; May 20, 1768 – July 12, 1849) was the wife of James Madison, the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. She was noted for holding Washington social functions in which she invited members of b ...

known for elegant parties. The brand's slogan was "Cakes and pastries fine enough to serve at the White House." * Nafziger was married to Nathalie Schaefer, and was later divorced. His second marriage to Vee M. Bear lasted from April 9, 1949 until June 17, 1958. He had two children: Ralph Leroy Nafziger, Jr. and Nathalie Nafziger. He had homes in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Chicago, and Kansas City. Nafziger died on September 17, 1965, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, at the age of 77.https://newspaperarchive.com/emporia-gazette/1965-09-20/page-6/ Emporia Gazette Monday, September 20, 1965 / The Interstate Bakeries Corporation continued growing; in 1995, it acquired

Continental Baking Company The Continental Baking Company was one of the first bakeries to introduce fortified bread. It was the maker of the Twinkie and Wonder Bread. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers it became part of the former Hostess Brands company. Hist ...

(owners of the

Wonder Bread Wonder Bread is an American brand of sliced bread. Established in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1921, it was one of the first companies to sell sliced bread nationwide by 1930. The brand is currently owned by Flowers Foods in the United States. His ...

and Hostess product lines) and in 2009 became

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nafziger, Ralph Leroy 1887 births 1965 deaths Businesspeople from Kansas City, Missouri Businesspeople from Los Angeles Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni 20th-century American businesspeople