Forrest Mars Sr.

Forrest Edward Mars Sr.
Born	Template:Birth date Wadena, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	July 1, 1999(1999-07-01) (aged 95) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, businessman
Known for	Development of Mars, Inc., creator of Milky Way, Mars bar, M&M's, Uncle Ben's Rice
Notable work	Milky Way (1924), Mars bar (1932), M&M's (1941), Uncle Ben's Rice

Forrest Edward Mars Sr. (March 21, 1904 – July 1, 1999) was an influential American billionaire entrepreneur instrumental in the development of Mars Inc., a company established in 1911. He was responsible for creating legendary products including the Milky Way (1924), Mars bar (1932), and M&M's (1941), as well as introducing the Uncle Ben's Rice brand. As the son of Franklin Clarence Mars, the company's founder, and Ethel G. Mars, Forrest expanded the family enterprise into a worldwide leader in confectionery and pet nutrition.

Early life and career

Mars was born in Wadena, Minnesota, but following his parents' divorce, he was raised by his maternal grandparents in Canada. He graduated from Yale University in 1928 with a degree in industrial engineering. Upon returning to Mars Inc., he experienced disagreements with his father regarding global expansion strategies, prompting him to relocate to England. There, he developed the Mars bar and Maltesers while briefly collaborating with Nestlé and Toblerone.

In 1934, Mars purchased Chappel Bros., a British firm specializing in canned dog food, and established dominance in that sector through the Chappie brand. After returning to the United States, he founded Food Products Manufacturing, which introduced Uncle Ben's Rice and Pedigree Petfoods. In partnership with Bruce Murrie, he launched M&M's in 1940 and later added peanut M&M's in 1954 despite suffering from a peanut allergy.

Following his father's passing, Forrest combined his operations with Mars Inc. in 1964 and led the company until his retirement in 1973, at which point leadership passed to his children: Forrest Jr., John, and Jacqueline. During retirement, he founded Ethel M Chocolates in Nevada; this venture was eventually acquired by Mars Inc. in 1988.

Mars died at age 95 in Miami, leaving an estimated net worth of $4 billion. At the time of his death, Forbes ranked him as the 30th wealthiest American and 103rd globally. In recognition of his achievements, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1984.

Legacy

Although often described as having a challenging personality, Mars exhibited outstanding business insight throughout his career.

See also

• List of billionaires

Further reading

• Brenner, Joel Glenn (1999). The Emperors of Chocolate. Random House. .
• Cadbury, Deborah (2010). Chocolate Wars. HarperCollins. .

External links

• Fortune Magazine profile originally published in 1967 and republished on March 31, 2013. [1]