Henry J. Kaiser
Entrepreneur
Industrialist turned shipbuilder who made his business an indispensable part of the American war effort in World War II.
He developed mass production techniques at his Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond, California, that allowed a new cargo ship to roll off the line every 45 days during World War II.
He also set up an insurance plan during the war for his workers, the antecedent of the modern Kaiser Permanente HMO. After World War II, he started manufacturing cars like the Jeep.
He was born in Sprout Brook, New York.
He and Marcel Dassault, who developed and manufactured France's planes in the previous World War, both helped their countries' respective war efforts.