Mars family

Last updated

Private mausoleum in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis Mars-Lakewood-20100912.JPG
Private mausoleum in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis

The Mars family is an American family that owns the confectionery company Mars Inc. In 1988, the family was ranked as the richest family in the United States of America by Fortune magazine. It has since been surpassed by the Walton family and the Koch family, and was ranked as the third richest family in America in 2016. [1]

Upon the 1 July 1999 death of Forrest Mars Sr., he and his two sons were ranked No. 29, 30, and 31 by Forbes magazine's list of richest Americans, and they each had a worth of approximately $4 billion. In March 2010 the three children of Forrest Mars were tied for 52nd place amongst the world's richest people, according to Forbes, with a net worth of US$11 billion each. [2] [3] [4] One of these sons, Forrest Mars Jr., died on 26 July 2016, and his four daughters inherited his wealth, with three of them working for the company as of 2019. [5] As of April 2020, the combined private fortune of the family members was estimated at around $126 billion, making them one of the richest families in the world. [6]

The family is very protective of their privacy. They rarely, if ever, give press interviews or, with the exception of Jacqueline Mars and Victoria B. Mars, are photographed in public. [7]

A 2006 report quantified how the Mars family was among 18 billionaire families, starting in the 1990s, who continuously lobbied Congress to eliminate the estate tax. [8]

Family members

Mars family tree
  • Franklin Clarence Mars (September 24, 1883 – April 8, 1935) – founder of Mars, Inc. Invented the Milky Way bar.
    • Ethel G. Kissack (September 29, 1882 – April 11, 1980) [9] – first wife of Frank C. Mars (married 1902, divorced)
      • Forrest Edward Mars Sr. (March 21, 1904 – July 1, 1999) – son of Frank C. Mars and Ethel G. Mars. Invented M&M's.
        • Audrey Ruth Meyer (May 25, 1910 – June 15, 1989) – wife of Forrest E. Mars Sr.
          • Forrest E. Mars Jr. (August 16, 1931 – July 26, 2016) – son of Forrest E. Mars Sr. [10]
            • Virginia Cretella (born 1929/1930) [11] – first wife of Forrest E. Mars Jr. (divorced 1990) [12]
              • Victoria B. Mars – daughter of Forrest E. Mars Jr. and Virginia C. Mars [10] [13]
              • Valerie Anne Mars – daughter of Forrest E. Mars Jr. and Virginia C. Mars, [10] [14] member of the Board of Directors of Conservation International [15]
                • Philip Michael White – husband of Valerie Anne Mars (married 1984) [14]
              • Pamela D. Mars-Wright (born Pamela Diane Mars, 1960/1961) daughter of Forrest E. Mars Jr. and Virginia C. Mars [10] [16]
                • Lonnie Jay Wright (born 1960/1961) – husband of Pamela Diane Mars (married 1992) [16]
              • Marijke Elizabeth Mars (born 1965) – daughter of Forrest E. Mars Jr. and Virginia C. Mars [17] [18]
                • Stephen J. Doyle – husband of Marijke Elizabeth Mars (married 1991) [17] (divorced 2000)
            • Deborah Adair Clarke – second wife of Forrest E. Mars Jr. [12] (divorced 2010)
          • John Franklyn Mars (born October 15, 1935) – son of Forrest E. Mars Sr. [10]
            • Adrienne Bevis – wife of John Mars (married June 1958) [19]
              • Linda Anne Mars (born May 23, 1960) – daughter of John and Adrienne Mars [13] [19]
              • Frank Edward Mars (born March 13, 1963) – son of John and Adrienne Mars [10] [13] [19]
                • Susan Alleman Mars – wife of Frank E. Mars [20]
              • Michael John Mars (born November 22, 1967) – son of John and Adrienne Mars [10] [19] [21]
                • Sarah Ann Robbins (born April 19, 1968) – wife of Michael John Mars (married 1993) [19] [21]
          • Jacqueline Mars (born October 10, 1939) – daughter of Forrest E. Mars Sr. [13]
            • David H. Badger – first husband of Jacqueline Mars (married 1961, divorced 1984) [13]
              • Alexandra B. Airth (born Alexandra Badger, 1966/1967) – daughter of Jacqueline Mars and David Badger [10] [22]
                • Andrew Towne Carey (born 1966/1967) – husband of Alexandra Mars Badger (married 1991) [22] (divorced 1995)
                • Alan Airth – husband of Alexandra Badger [23]
              • Stephen M. Badger (born September 18, 1968) – son of Jacqueline Mars and David Badger
              • Christa M. Badger (born c.1975) – daughter of Jacqueline Mars and David Badger [10]
            • Harold 'Hank' Vogel – second husband of Jacqueline Mars (married 1986, divorced in 1994) [13] [24]
    • Ethel Veronica Healy (1884 – December 20, 1945) – second wife of Frank C. Mars (married 1910, widowed 1934), president of Mars Candy Company, Chicago, after death of husband [25]
      • Patricia Mars (1914–1965) – daughter of Frank C. Mars and Ethel V. Healy [25] [26]
        • William Furst – husband of Patricia Mars
        • Alan Feeney – husband of Patricia Mars

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billionaire</span> Person who has at least one billion units of a currency

A billionaire is a person with a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually of a major currency such as the United States dollar, euro, or pound sterling. It is a sub-category of the concept of the ultra high-net-worth individual. The American business magazine Forbes produces a global list of known U.S. dollar billionaires every year and updates an internet version of this list in real time. The American oil magnate John D. Rockefeller became the world's first confirmed U.S. dollar billionaire in 1916.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Robson Walton</span> American billionaire (born 1944)

Samuel Robson "Rob" Walton is an American billionaire heir to the fortune of Walmart, the world's largest retailer. He is the eldest son of Helen Walton and Sam Walton, and was chairman of Walmart from 1992 to 2015. As of November 2023, Walton had an estimated net worth of US$72 billion, making him the 16th richest person in the world. He is also the principal owner of the Denver Broncos.

Antonio Andrónico Luksic Abaroa was a Chilean businessman. He founded the Luksic Group, becoming the richest person in Chile, the fourth in Latin America, and the 132nd in the world, with a net worth in 2005 of US$4.2 billion according to Forbes magazine. The Luksic Group has interests in the mining, financial, industrial, and beverages sectors. Major holdings include, or have included, Banco de Chile, Compañia de Cervecerias Unidas (CCU), and Antofagasta Plc, a UK-listed copper mining company. In Croatia, he was involved in the tourist industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest Mars Sr.</span> American businessman (1904–1999)

Forrest Edward Mars Sr. 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.

Jacqueline Mars is an American heiress and investor. She is the daughter of Audrey Ruth (Meyer) and Forrest Mars, Sr., and the granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, founders of the American candy company Mars, Incorporated. As of November 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated her net worth at US$46.6 billion, ranking her the 23rd-richest person in the world. In the annual ranking of the richest women in the world in 2023, Forbes estimated her fortune at $38.3 billion and placed her in fourth place.

John Franklyn Mars is an American businessman and heir. He is the chairman of Mars, Inc. As of November 2023, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at US$46.4 billion, ranking him the 24th-richest person in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shari Arison</span> American-Israeli businesswoman

Shari Arison is an American-born Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the owner of Arison Investments, which consists of several business companies, and of The Ted Arison Family Foundation, which comprises several philanthropic organizations that operate as its subsidiaries. She was the controlling shareholder of Bank Hapoalim for 21 years, and after selling some of her shares in November 2018, she ceased to be the controlling shareholder at the bank. She was also an owner of Shikun & Binui for 22 years, sold to the Saidoff Group on August 6, 2018.

Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is a Dutch billionaire businesswoman, and the owner of a 25% controlling interest in the world's second-largest brewer, Heineken N.V. As of July 2024, Forbes estimated her net worth at US$14.1 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gina Rinehart</span> Australian businesswoman (born 1954)

Georgina Hope Rinehart is an Australian billionaire mining magnate and businesswoman. Rinehart is the executive chairwoman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately owned mineral exploration and extraction company founded by her father, Lang Hancock.

S. Curtis "Curt" Johnson is a US businessman and convicted sex offender. Johnson is the son of Samuel Curtis Johnson Jr. and Imogene Powers Johnson, and is the great great grandson of Samuel Curtis Johnson Sr., founder of S. C. Johnson & Son. The 2013 Forbes 400 list of richest persons in the world placed him at 166 with a net worth of $3 billion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">François-Henri Pinault</span> French businessman (born 1962)

François-Henri Pinault is a French businessman, the son of billionaire François Pinault. François-Henri took the reins of his father's retail conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute in 2005, and turned it into the luxury group Kering in 2013. He has been president of the family-owned investment holding Groupe Artémis since 2003. He has been married to the film producer and actress Salma Hayek since 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forrest Mars Jr.</span> American businessman (1931–2016)

Forrest Edward Mars Jr. was an American heir and businessman. He was the eldest son of Audrey Ruth (Meyer) and Forrest Mars Sr., and the grandson of Frank C. Mars, the founder of Mars, Incorporated. He served as Co-President of the confectionery company from 1975 to 1999.

The Cargill family, also known as the Cargill-MacMillan family, refers to the multi-generational descendants of the American business executive William Wallace Cargill and his son-in-law John H. MacMillan Sr. The Cargill-MacMillan family is the fourth-wealthiest family in America. Descendants of Cargill and MacMillan have owned common equity in the "agribusiness giant" Cargill Inc, one of the largest privately owned corporations in the United States, for over 140 years. William Cargill founded the Cargill company as an Iowa grain storage business in 1865, during the post–Civil War period, and was its CEO for almost 40 years. Following the death of William Cargill in 1909, his son-in-law John MacMillan steered the company out of a debt crisis and into stability. The two branches of the family—the MacMillans and the Cargills—continue to be represented on the board of directors of Cargill Incorporated. The most recent family members appointed to the board are fifth generation.

<i>The Worlds Billionaires</i> Annual ranking of the worlds billionaires by Forbes magazine

The World's Billionaires is an annual ranking of people who are billionaires, i.e., they are considered to have a net worth of US$1 billion or more, by the American business magazine Forbes. The list was first published in March 1987. The total net worth of each individual on the list is estimated and is cited in United States dollars, based on their documented assets and accounting for debt and other factors. Royalty and dictators whose wealth comes from their positions are excluded from these lists. This ranking is an index of the wealthiest documented individuals, excluding any ranking of those with wealth that is not able to be completely ascertained.

Mars is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

The Lauder family is an American billionaire family. It owes its initial fame to Estée Lauder (1908–2004), who with her husband Joseph H. Lauder, made a fortune via her eponymous cosmetics business, The Estée Lauder Companies, during the 20th century.

Valerie Anne Mars is an American billionaire heiress and businesswoman. As of June 2021, Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated her wealth to be $11.5 billion.

Marijke Elizabeth Mars is an American billionaire heiress and businesswoman. In March 2018 Forbes estimated her wealth to be $5.9 billion. She was ranked as the 30th-richest woman in the world, a position shared with her three sisters.

Pamela Diane Mars-Wright is an American businesswoman and billionaire heiress. Previously, she was the chairman of the board of Mars Inc. She is a supervisory board member of Dutch brewing company Heineken International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Koch</span> American heiress (born 1962)

Julia Margaret Flesher Koch is an American socialite and philanthropist who is one of the richest women in the world. In the Forbes ranking for September 2024, her fortune was over $74 billion. She inherited her fortune from her husband, David Koch, who died in 2019.

References

  1. ↑ Dolan, Kerry A. "Billion-Dollar Clans: America's 25 Richest Families 2016". Forbes. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  2. ↑ "The World's Billionaires (2010): No. 52 Forrest Mars Jr". Forbes. March 3, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  3. ↑ "The World's Billionaires (2010): No. 52 John Mars". Forbes. March 3, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  4. ↑ "The World's Billionaires (2010): No. 52 Jacqueline Mars". Forbes. March 3, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  5. ↑ Hoffower, Hillary (March 31, 2019). "The mysterious family behind the $127 billion Mars chocolate empire". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  6. ↑ "10 of the Wealthiest Families in the World". Investopedia.
  7. ↑ "Party Pictures 3/29/06 – A little Washington and Palm Beach". www.newyorksocialdiary.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Spending Millions to Save Billions: The Campaign of the Super Wealthy to Kill the Estate Tax" (PDF). Public Citizen. April 2006.
  9. ↑ "Descendants of Gilbert Kissack" . Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 The Five Principles of Mars [ permanent dead link ]. Signed by Mars family members: Alexandra B. Airth, Christa M. Badger, Forrest E. Mars Jr., Frank E. Mars, Jacqueline B. Mars, John F. Mars, Michael J. Mars, Pamela D. Mars-Wright, Stephen M. Badger II, Valerie A. Mars, Victoria B. Mars.
  11. ↑ "AAVC Service to Vassar Award: Virginia Cretella Mars". Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar College. Fall 2005. Archived from the original on March 18, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  12. 1 2 Pottker, Jan (April 29, 2008). "Sweet Secrets: Opening Doors on the Very Private Lives of the Billionaire Mars Family". Washingtonian . Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gleick, Elizabeth (February 21, 1994). "Crisis in Candy Land". People Vol. 41 No. 7. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  14. 1 2 "Valerie A. Mars To Wed Teacher". The New York Times. April 22, 1984. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Board of Directors". www.conservation.org. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  16. 1 2 "WEDDINGS; Pamela Mars, Lonnie Wright". The New York Times. January 3, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  17. 1 2 "Marijke E. Mars Weds S. J. Doyle". The New York Times. June 30, 1991. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Majrike Mars". Bloomberg Billionaire Index, bloomberg.com. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "Descendants of William Langley Bevis". Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Frank E. Mars On Campus February 2010". Elizabethtown College. February 2010. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  21. 1 2 "WEDDINGS; Sarah Robbins, Michael J. Mars". The New York Times. October 3, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  22. 1 2 "Miss Badger to Marry Andrew Carey". The New York Times. March 3, 1991. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  23. ↑ Our Supporters Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . Pretend City Children’s Museum.
  24. ↑ "Features: Old Money Goes Bad". The Canberra Times . Vol. 70, no. 21, 863. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. February 25, 1995. p. 49. Retrieved April 2, 2019– via National Library of Australia., ...Jackie Mars, heiress to a $3 billion slice of the fortune, is being sued by her estranged husband, Harold Vogel...
  25. 1 2 "Ethel V. Mars, Head of Candy Firm, Dies". Billboard. January 5, 1946. Retrieved February 25, 2011.
  26. ↑ The Sweet, Secret World of Forrest Mars (Fortune, 1967), by Harold B. Meyers, By Fortune Editors March 31, 2013, Fortune, ...His half sister, Patricia Mars Furst Feeney, had another third...
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.