Franklin Clarence Mars
| Franklin Clarence Mars | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1883 Hancock, Minnesota |
| Died | April 8, 1934 (aged 50) Chester Springs, Pennsylvania or Baltimore, Maryland |
| Occupation | Founder of Mars, Inc. |
| Spouse | Ethel G. Kissack (m. 1902, div.) Ethel Veronica Healy (m. 1910) |
| Children | Forrest Mars (b. 1904, son with Ethel G.) Patricia Mars (daughter of Ethel V.) |
Franklin Clarence Mars (September 24, 1883 – April 8, 1934), sometimes known as Frank C. Mars, was an American business magnate who founded the food company Mars, Incorporated, which makes mostly chocolate candy. Mars and his son Forrest Edward Mars developed M&M's.
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[edit] Family
He was born in 1883 in Hancock, Minnesota.[1] Frank Mars learned how to hand dip chocolate candy as a child from his mother Alva, who hoped to entertain him as he had a mild case of polio.[1] He began to sell Molasses chips at age 19.[2]
Mars and Ethel G. Kissack (September 29, 1882 – April 11, 1980),[3] a schoolteacher, were married in 1902.[1] Their son, Forrest Mars, Sr. was born in 1904 in Wadena, Minnesota.[1]
Later divorced from his first wife, Mars and Ethel Veronica Healy (1884–1945) were married in 1910.[4] That year he began to sell candy wholesale in Tacoma, Washington.[2]
[edit] Mars, Incorporated
In 1920, they moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Mars founded Mar-O-Bar Co. and began to manufacture chocolate candy bars.[2] The company later incorporated as Mars, Incorporated.[2] In 1923 he introduced his son Forrest's idea,[5] the Milky Way, which became the best-selling candy bar[2] Mars moved to Chicago in 1929[2] and settled in River Forest, Illinois. He became an honorary captain of the Oak Park, Illinois police department.[2]
In 1930, Mars developed the Snickers Bar.[5]
Shortly before World War II, Bruce Murrie, son of long-term president of The Hershey Company, William F.R. Murrie, struck a deal with Forrest Mars to create a hard sugar-coated chocolate that would be called M&M's (for Mars and Murrie). Murrie had 20 percent interest in the confection. The new confection would use Hershey chocolate during the rationing era during World War II. In 1948 Mars bought out Murrie's interest and would become one of Hershey's primary competitors.[6]
Forrest Mars, Sr. went on to grow the company through the addition of such products as Uncle Ben's. Forrest Mars, Sr. died in 1999 and left the company to his children who still own it today.[citation needed]
Mars died of kidney and heart problems in 1934[2] at age 50.
[edit] Horse racing
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In the late-1920s, in Pulaski, Tennessee, Mars bought a number of local farms and constructed a large estate called Milky Way Farm. During its construction, Mars employed more than 935 men from Giles County to build a 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) clubhouse, more than 30 barns, a horse racing track, and a show horse track.[citation needed] Gallahadion won the Kentucky Derby in 1940 after Mars died.[2] Recently[when?], Milky Way Farms was sold.[citation needed] The current owner is totally renovating the estate to its original glory. In addition, a gated community is being established along with an 18 hole golf course, a polo field, and many other amenities.[citation needed]
Mars lived the remainder of his life on the 2,800 acre (11 km²) farm and was buried there upon his death in 1934.[citation needed] Ethel V. Mars,[citation needed] his wife, had his body and the mausoleum moved to Minneapolis a few years after his death.[citation needed] Mars is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.[7]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "History". Mars, Incorporated. http://www.mars.com/global/Who+We+Are/History.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Franklin Mars". The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest. http://web.archive.org/web/20090617203817/http://www.oprf.com/oprfhist/marsf.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "Descendants of Gilbert Kissack". http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/w/i/l/Jeffrey--Wilde/ODT6-0023.html. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
- ^ "Ethel V. Mars, Head of Candy Firm, Dies". Billboard. January 5, 1946. http://books.google.com/books?id=cxgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT77&lpg=PT77&dq=ethel+mars+death&source=bl&ots=uxh6aIVbSS&sig=tg7hC1oH9ImLdLu-ZvmSGioJafM&hl=en&ei=97AYTayOLIL7lwfispDNDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=16&ved=0CIwBEOgBMA8#v=onepage&q=ethel%20mars%20death&f=false. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
- ^ a b El-Hai, Jack (March 2007). "Candy Bar Combat". Minnesota Monthly (Greenspring Media Group). http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/March-2007/Candy-Bar-Combat/. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- ^ "Murrie, William F.R.; 1873-1950", hersheyarchives.com. Cf section "The Story of M & Ms"
- ^ "Burial Search". Lakewood Cemetery. http://www.lakewoodcemetery.com/lcaclass/BurialQuery?fname=frank&lname=mars&year=1934. Retrieved 2008-10-07.[dead link]
- "Mars Family". Practically Edible. http://www.practicallyedible.com/edible.nsf/encyclopaedia!openframeset&frame=Right&Src=/edible.nsf/pages/marsfamily!opendocument. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- www.MilkyWayFarms.com
