Franklin Clarence Mars (; September 24, 1883 – April 8, 1934) was an American

business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

who founded the food company Mars Inc., which mostly makes chocolate

candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

. Mars' son Forrest Mars developed

M&M's M&M's are color-varied sugar-coated dragée chocolate confectionery by the Mars Wrigley Confectionery division of Mars Inc.. The candy consists of a candy shell surrounding a filling which determines the specific type of M&M's. Each piece has ...

and the Mars bar and founded the

Ethel M Chocolate Factory Ethel M Chocolates is an American chocolate manufacturer and retailer, based in Henderson, Nevada. It was founded by Forrest Mars Sr. in 1981, and is named after his mother, Ethel Mars. The company produces preservative-free chocolates using her ...

Family

Mars was born on September 24, 1883, in Walden Township,

Pope County, Minnesota Pope County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,308. Its county seat is Glenwood. The county was formed in 1862 and organized in 1866. History Pope County was identified by the state legis ...

. He learned how to hand-dip chocolate candy as a child from his mother Alva, who entertained him while he had a mild case of

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

. He began to sell

molasses Molasses () is a viscous byproduct, principally obtained from the refining of sugarcane or sugar beet juice into sugar. Molasses varies in the amount of sugar, the method of extraction, and the age of the plant. Sugarcane molasses is usuall ...

chips at age 19. Mars attended high school at the

Breck School Breck School is an independent college-preparatory preK–12 school in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Golden Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. It was founded in 1886 and is affiliated with the Episcopal Church in the United States of Ameri ...

, a boarding school then located in

Wilder, Minnesota Wilder is a city in Jackson County, Minnesota, Jackson County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 62 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Wilder was founded in 1885. It was named for Amherst Holcomb Wilder, a ra ...

. Mars and Ethel G. Kissack (1882–1980), a schoolteacher, were married in 1902 in Hennepin County, Minnesota. Their son, Forrest Mars, Sr., was born in 1904 in

Wadena, Minnesota Wadena ( ) is a city in Otter Tail and Wadena counties in the state of Minnesota. It is about one hundred sixty miles northwest of the Minneapolis – Saint Paul metro area. The population was 4,325 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat ...

. They divorced sometime before 1910. Mars and Ethel Veronica Healy (1884–1945) were married in 1910 and had one daughter, Patricia Mars (1914–1965).

Mars, Incorporated

He started the Mars Candy Factory in 1911 with Ethel V. Mars, his second wife, in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

. This factory produced and sold fresh candy wholesale, but ultimately the venture failed because there was a better established business, Brown & Haley, also operating in Tacoma. In 1920, they moved to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, where Mars founded Mar-O-Bar Co. and began to manufacture chocolate candy bars. The company later incorporated as

Mars, Incorporated Mars, Incorporated (doing business as Mars Inc.) is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services founded on June 23, 1911, headquartered in McLean, Virgini ...

. In 1923 he introduced his son Forrest's idea, the

Milky Way The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...

, which became the best-selling candy bar. Mars moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1929 and settled in River Forest. He became an honorary captain of the

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

police department. In 1930, Mars developed the Snickers Bar.

Death and legacy

Mars died from heart and kidney issues on April 8, 1934 at

Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1889, Johns Hopkins Hospital and its school of medicine are considered to be the foundin ...

in Baltimore. Ownership of the family business passed to his son Forrest.

Horse racing

In the late 1920s, in

Pulaski, Tennessee Pulaski is a city in and the county seat of Giles County, which is located on the central-southern border of Tennessee, United States. The population was 8,397 at the 2020 census. It was named after Casimir Pulaski, a noted Polish-born general o ...

, 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 clubhouse, more than 30 barns, and a horse racing track.

Gallahadion Gallahadion (March 31, 1937 – July 7, 1958) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known as the 1940 winner of the Kentucky Derby. He was a son of the Champion sire Sir Gallahad III, and his dam-sire was U.S. Horse of the Year Reigh Count ...

won the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby () is an American Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes Thoroughbred racing, race run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The race is run by three-year-old Thoroughbreds at a distance of . Colt (horse), Colts and geldin ...

in 1940 after Mars died. Mars-Lakewood-20100912

Mars lived the remainder of his life on the farm and was buried there upon his death in 1934. After Milky Way Farm was sold, the remains of Mars and his wife Ethel V. Mars were moved to a private mausoleum at

Lakewood Cemetery Lakewood Cemetery is a large private, non-sectarian, rural cemetery located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is located at 3600 Hennepin Avenue at the southern end of the Uptown, Minneapolis, Uptown area. It is noted for its chapel ...

in Minneapolis, where they are currently interred.

References

*
www.MilkyWayFarms.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Frank 1883 births 1934 deaths People from Stevens County, Minnesota American food company founders Businesspeople in confectionery Chocolatiers People from Oak Park, Illinois People from Pulaski, Tennessee Mars family Burials at Lakewood Cemetery

Family

Mars, Incorporated

Death and legacy

Horse racing

See also

References