Walter Knott
Entrepreneur
Best remembered for founding the their Knott's Berry Farm theme park, this California berry farmer and pie and preserves merchant also opened a popular restaurant.
Early in his career as a farmer, he grew a type of large berry known as the hybrid boysenberry.
He made an appearance in a 1950s episode of the Groucho Marx-hosted program You Bet Your Life.
He was born in San Bernardino, California, and raised in the nearby city of Pomona. His marriage to Cordelia Hornaday resulted in a son named Russell and daughters named Virginia, Toni, and Marion.
He and Walt Disney both opened successful Southern California theme parks during the middle of the Twentieth Century.