Forrest Mars Sr.

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Forrest Mars Sr.
Forrest Mars, Sr..jpg
Born
Forrest Edward Mars

March 21, 1904 (1904-03-21)
Wadena, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJuly 1, 1999 (1999-08) (aged 95)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
EducationYale University
OccupationDirector of Mars, Inc.
Founder of Ethel M Chocolates
Spouse(s)Audrey Ruth (Meyer) Mars
ChildrenForrest Edward Mars Jr.
John F. Mars
Jacqueline Mars
Parent(s)Frank C. Mars
Ethel G. Mars

Forrest Edward Mars Sr. (March 21, 1904 – July 1, 1999) was an American businessman and the driving force of the Mars candy empire. He is best known for introducing Milky Way (1923) and Mars (1932) chocolate candy bars, and M&M's (1941) chocolate candy, as well as orchestrating the launch of Uncle Ben's Rice. He was the son of candy company Mars, Inc. founder Frank C. Mars and his first wife Ethel G. Mars (née Kissack).[3]

Early life and career[]

Mars was born in Wadena, Minnesota, and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada after his parents' divorce when he was just a child. He rarely saw his father. After high school he entered the University of California, Berkeley and later transferred to Yale University, where he completed a degree in industrial engineering in 1928.[4]

As an adult, Forrest Mars reunited with his father at Mars, Inc. However, the pair ran into a disagreement when Forrest wanted to expand abroad while his father did not. For a few years he worked at the new plant in Chicago and supervised the development of the Snickers and 3 Musketeers bars. , a newly hired chemist at the Chicago lab of Mars Inc remembered "[Forrest Mars] would turn up often with something new for us to try."[5][6] Mars then took a buyout from his father and moved to England where he created the Mars bar and Maltesers while estranged from his father in 1933. In Europe, Mars briefly worked for Nestlé and the Tobler company.[4]

In 1934, he bought a British company, Chappel Bros, specialized in canned meat for dogs. Due to the lack of competition, Forrest took control of this market as he launched and marketed Chappie's canned food.[7]

After he returned to the United States, Mars started his own food business, , where he established the Uncle Ben's Rice line and a pet food business, Pedigree. In partnership later with Bruce Murrie, Mars developed M&M's, the chocolate candy covered in a crunchy shell which "melts in your mouth, not in your hands," in 1940. They were possibly modeled after Smarties. Peanut M&M's were introduced in 1954[8] although Forrest had been allergic to peanuts his entire life. Murrie later left the business.

Following the death of his father, Forrest Mars took over the family business, Mars, Inc, merging it with his own company in 1964.[4] He was married to Audrey Ruth Meyer (b. May 25, 1910, in Chicago, d. June 15, 1989, in Washington, D.C.), and they had three children – Forrest Jr., John, and Jacqueline.[9]

Mars retired from Mars, Inc. in 1973, turning the company over to his children.[9]

In 1980, retired and living in Henderson, Nevada, he founded Ethel M Chocolates, named after his mother.[10] Ethel M was purchased by Mars, Inc. in 1988.[11]

Mars died at age 95 in Miami, Florida, having amassed a fortune of $4 billion. He was ranked as 30th in Forbes magazine's list of richest Americans (Forrest Jr. and John were 29th and 31st, respectively). He left the business jointly to his three children.[9]

Mars was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1984.

See also[]

  • List of billionaires

References[]

  1. ^ "The World's Richest People (1999): #101 - #125". Forbes. 1999. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  2. ^ "Forbes 400 Richest Americans (1998): #26 - #50". Forbes. 1998. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  3. ^ "Mars Family". Practically Edible. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Lemelson-MIT Program". lemelson.mit.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  5. ^ Williams, Melissa (May 30, 2018). "https://comomag.com/2018/05/30/meet-frances-herdlinger/". COMO Magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2020. External link in |title= (help)
  6. ^ Carlile, Olga Gize (June 10, 1995). "The Three Musketeers Was Her Project". Freeport, IL: Journal Standard.
  7. ^ Rothacher, Albrecht (2004-10-25). Corporate Cultures and Global Brands. World Scientific. ISBN 9789814482585.
  8. ^ Smith, Andrew F. (2012). Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat. ABC-CLIO. p. liv. ISBN 9780313393938.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c Brenner, Joel Glenn (July 26, 1992). "Life on Mars: The Mars family saga has all the classic elements". The Independent. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  10. ^ "About Us". Ethel M Chocolates. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  11. ^ Allen, Lawrence (2010). Chocolate Fortunes.

Further reading[]

  • Brenner, Joel Glenn (1999). The Emperors of Chocolate. Random House. ISBN 0-679-42190-4.
  • Cadbury, Deborah (2010). Chocolate Wars. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-00-732555-9.

External links[]

  • Profile in Fortune Magazine, published in 1967, republished March 31, 2013. [1]
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