Albert May Todd (June 3, 1850 – October 6, 1931), known as "The Peppermint King of Kalamazoo," was an American chemist, businessman, and politician from the state of Michigan. A philanthropist and advocate of public ownership of utilities, Todd made his fortune as the founder of the A.M. Todd Company, a world leader in the production of peppermint oil and other botanical extracts. Todd was also a renowned bibliophile, portions of whose collection now grace the holdings of several American universities. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives. Biography Early years Albert May Todd was born June 3, 1850, near Nottawa, Michigan, in St. Joseph County, the tenth and last child of Alfred and Mary Ann Hovey Todd, who had come to Michigan from upstate New York. The Todd family were farmers of extremely modest means, supporting themselves on 45 arable acres of an 80-acre homestead. Todd received his primary education in one-room schoolhouses before attending and graduated from Sturgis High School in the neighboring town of Sturgis. He later studied chemistry at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. "The Peppermint King" Peppermint was an early agricultural staple in southern Michigan and Todd at an early age was fascinated by the crop, attempting to cultivate it and to distill it. Together with his brother Oliver, Albert Todd began growing mint on a small scale and working to invent and improve new methods for its distillation into peppermint oil — a process which remained crude at that date. After graduation from Northwestern, he traveled to Europe and made a study of mint cultivation on that continent, bringing home varieties of the plant which were in cultivation there. Todd returned to southwestern Michigan where in 1869, at the age of 19, he established the A.M. Todd Company with a view to commercially extracting flavorings and essential oils from mint. In 1875, he marketed the "Crystal White" brand of peppermint oil, with his own name featured prominently on the label as an assurance of quality. This trademarked product remains in active use into the 21st Century. The A.M. Todd Company was moved to Kalamazoo in 1891. It is estimated that by the early 20th century, 90 percent of the world's supply of peppermint was grown within 75 miles of Kalamazoo, most of which was refined by Todd. Todd's predominance in this field earned him the popular moniker "The Peppermint King