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Forrest Mars Sr.

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Forrest Mars Sr.
Born
Forrest Edward Mars

(1904-03-21)March 21, 1904
Wadena, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJuly 1, 1999(1999-07-01) (aged 95)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
EducationYale University
University of California, Berkeley
OccupationConfectionary magnate
Years active1923−1973
Known for
Spouse
Audrey Ruth Meyer
​
(died 1989)​
ChildrenForrest Edward Mars Jr.
John F. Mars
Jacqueline Mars
ParentFrank C. Mars

Forrest Edward Mars Sr. (March 21, 1904 – July 1, 1999) was an American billionaire businessman and the driving force of the Mars candy empire. He is best known for introducing Milky Way (1924) and Mars (1932) chocolate bars, and M&M's (1941) chocolate, 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).[1]

Early life and career

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Mars was born March 21, 1904, in Wadena, Minnesota, the only child of Franklin Clarence Mars, the founder of the Mars Candy Company, and his first wife Ethel Gale Mars (née Kissack; 1882-1980). He was raised by his maternal grandparents in North Battleford Saskatchewan, Canada,[2] after his parents' divorce when he was just a child. He rarely saw his father who remarried to Ethel Veronica Healy in 1910. He had a half sister, Patricia Mars. 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.[3]

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. Frances Herdlinger, 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."[4][5] 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.[3]

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.[6]

After he returned to the United States, Mars started his own food business, Food Products Manufacturing, 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[7] 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.[3] 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.[8]

Mars retired from Mars, Inc., in 1973, turning the company over to his children.[8]

In 1980, retired and living in Henderson, Nevada, he founded Ethel M Chocolates, named after his mother.[9] Ethel M was purchased by Mars, Inc. in 1988.[10]

Mars died at age 95 on July 1, 1999, in Miami, Florida, having amassed a fortune of $4 billion. Forbes magazine ranked him as the 30th richest American (Forrest Jr. and John were 29th and 31st, respectively) and as the 103rd wealthiest person in the world. He left the business jointly to his three children.[8][11]

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

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Mars Family". Practically Edible. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  2. ^ "Mars Inc., est. 1911". 8 March 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Forrest Mars-M&Ms (Lemelson-MIT Program)". lemelson.mit.edu. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  4. ^ Williams, Melissa (May 30, 2018). "Meet Frances Herdlinger". COMO Magazine. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  5. ^ Carlile, Olga Gize (June 10, 1995). "The Three Musketeers Was Her Project". Freeport, IL: Journal Standard.
  6. ^ Rothacher, Albrecht (2004-10-25). Corporate Cultures and Global Brands. World Scientific. ISBN 9789814482585.
  7. ^ Smith, Andrew F. (2012). Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia of What We Love to Eat. ABC-CLIO. p. liv. ISBN 9780313393938.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "About Us". Ethel M Chocolates. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  10. ^ Allen, Lawrence (2010). Chocolate Fortunes.
  11. ^ Kerry A. Dolan (July 5, 1999). "200 Global Billionaires: 103. Forrest Edward Mars Sr". forbes.com.

Further reading

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