Forrest Edward Mars Jr. (August 16, 1931 – July 26, 2016) 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 Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021. Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest pri ...

. He served as Co-President of the confectionery company from 1975 to 1999.Forrest E. Mars, Jr., Businessman and Philanthropist, Passes Away at 84
Mars. In March 2015, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' estimated his wealth to be $26.8 billion up from US$11 billion in March 2010. In October 2012, the Bloomberg Billionaires List ranked Mars as the 31st richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of 20.1 billion.

Early life

Mars graduated from the Hotchkiss School in

Lakeville, Connecticut Lakeville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, close to Dutchess County, New York. It is within the town of Salisbury, but has its own ZIP Code (06039). As of the 2010 census, the population of Lak ...

, in 1949 and Yale University. He served as a finance officer in the United States Army.

Career

Mars started working for his family company in 1959, first as a financial officer. He was soon appointed the General Manager of a new factory in the Netherlands, then in 1966 he became the Managing Director of Mars France. He returned to the United States in 1970 to become Group Vice President of Mars Inc. In 1975, he and his brother

John F. Mars John Franklyn Mars (born October 15, 1935) is an American businessman and heir. He is the chairman of Mars, Inc. As of October 2022, ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'' estimated his net worth at US$53 billion, ranking him the 21st-richest person in ...

became Co-Presidents and oversaw substantial growth of the company. Mars Jr retired in 1999 but remained on the Board of Directors until 2006.

Public activities

As owner of the Diamond Cross Ranch, an parcel along

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

's Tongue River and on the northern end of the

Powder River Basin The Powder River Basin is a geologic structural basin in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, about east to west and north to south, known for its extensive coal reserves. The former hunting grounds of the Oglala Lakota, the area is very s ...

, Mars was active in opposing the development of his part of what's been called the "most productive coal and natural gas fields in the nation." Companies that hold the oil and gas leases to his land, rights originally made possible by the

Stock-Raising Homestead Act The Stock-Raising Homestead Act of 1916 provided settlers of public land—a full section or its equivalent—for ranching purposes. Unlike the Homestead Act of 1862 or the Enlarged Homestead Act of 1909, land homesteaded under the 191 ...

and the

Mineral Leasing Act The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 et seq. is a United States federal law that authorizes and governs lease, leasing of public lands for developing deposits of coal, petroleum, natural gas and other hydrocarbons, in addition to phosphates, sodium, s ...

, are seeking to exercise those rights on his ranch. Mars was reportedly concerned about the large amount of water that energy exploration and production projects consume, water needed by his ranch. Mars and his ex-wife donated the funds that made it possible for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to reconstruct an 18th-century coffeehouse in

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location a ...

. The ex-couple made significant contributions to the privately owned governing body for

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain, in northern New York, in the United States. It was constructed by Canadian-born French milit ...

, though a falling-out between Executive Director Nicholas Westbrook and Mrs. Mars led to her resignation from the board and the end of the then-couple's financial support.

Wealth

According to ''

'' magazine as of 2010, he was the 52nd richest person in the world, the 26th richest American, and the richest

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Family

Mars married Virginia Cretella, born . They had four children: Victoria B. Mars, Valerie Anne Mars, Pamela Diane Mars, and Marijke Elizabeth Mars. Each daughter was worth of $5.9 billion (as of 2018-03-06). He divorced Virginia in 1990 to marry Deborah Adair Clarke. They divorced in 2010.

Death

Mars died at age 84 on July 26, 2016, in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, of complications from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Forrest 1931 births 2016 deaths Hotchkiss School alumni Businesspeople in confectionery People from Oak Park, Illinois People from McLean, Virginia Mars family American billionaires Wyoming Republicans Virginia Republicans Yale University alumni