Jacqueline Mars was born on 10 October 1939, and is best known for being co-owner of the Mars confectionary company, with siblings Forrest Jr. and John, and as such is rated by Forbes magazine as the joint 22nd richest person in the world in 2015.
Jacqueline Mars Net Worth $27 Billion
So just how rich is Jacqueline Mars? Forbes estimates that Jacqueline’s net worth is currently $27 billion, making her the 20th richest American, the third-richest woman in the USA and fourth in the world, virtually all her wealth being accumulated from her inheritance of one-third of the Mars confectionary company.
Jacqueline Mars is the daughter of Forrest Mars, Sr., and granddaughter of Frank C. Mars, founders of the candy company Mars, reputedly started by Frank in the kitchen of his Tacoma, Washington home in 1911. Jacqueline attended the boarding school, Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and subsequently graduated from Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania in 1961 with a degree in anthropology.
Jacqueline Mars and her two brothers, John and Forrest Jr., own Mars, the world’s largest candy company thanks in part to its $23 billion acquisition of gum maker Wrigley’s in 2008. The company is also the fifth largest in the USA. The candy maker’s most famous brands include Milky Way, M&M’s, 3 Musketeers, Twix, Skittles, and Snickers, reportedly named for the Mars family’s favorite horse. It was her father Forrest Sr. who invented malt-flavored nougat and M&M’s, over 400 million of which are produced in the United States each day. Mars has since branched out into consumer and pet foods with the well known brands Uncle Ben’s Rice and Whiskas under the Mars umbrella. The closely held company has annual revenue of more than $30 billion.
Jacqueline Mars along with her brothers John and Forrest Jr. took over the family business after their father died in 1999. John is the CEO of the company while Jacqueline herself was made the Corporate Vice President of Mars Inc. No one from the Mars family currently holds any executive position in the company.
In her private life, Jacqueline Mars married David H. Badger in 1961 They have three children, but divorced in 1984. She married Hank Vogel in 1986; they divorced in 1994 Jacqueline currently lives in Virginia.
As with many billionaires, Jacqueline is a noted philanthropist, including donating to the National Symphony Orchestra, and Australian Outback doctors. She is also a trustee of the US Equestrian Team, and sits on the board of directors of the National Sporting Library and Fine Art Museum.
No, the bars are getting smaller and the price is going up !