Jacqueline Mars

Jacqueline Mars (Jacqueline Badger Mars) is a member of the Mars family. Her grandfather, Frank C. Mars, founded the company when he began making and selling butter cream candy from his kitchen in Tacoma, Washington, in 1911; her father, Forrest E. Mars Sr., formally joined the family business in 1929.⁠[1][2]

In 1923 Frank C. Mars introduced the MILKY WAY bar after getting the idea for a “malted milk in a candy bar” from a discussion with his son Forrest Sr.⁠[1]

Mars graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree.⁠[3][2]

In 2011 Mars and Mars, IncorporatedMars, IncorporatedMars, Incorporated is a privately held, family-owned company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, United States, with businesses in pet food and pet health care, snacking and food. It traces its origins to the candy business Frank C. Mars started in Tacoma, Washington, in 1911.Open the full entry supported the National Archives exhibition “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?”⁠[4]

On November 13, 2012, the Foundation for the National Archives presented its first Heritage Award to Mars at its annual gala, honoring her support of the National Archives and other arts and cultural institutions in Washington, D.C.⁠[4]

On October 4, 2013, an SUV driven by Mars collided head-on with a minivan near Aldie, Virginia; an 86-year-old woman riding in the minivan was killed and several other people were injured, including the minivan’s driver, who was eight months pregnant and whose unborn child did not survive.⁠[5][6]

On December 5, 2013, Mars pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving and was fined $2,500, with her driver’s license suspended for six months and no jail sentence. Court papers say she said to a witness that she had fallen asleep just before the crash; prosecutors said she had a perfect driving record, that blood tests showed no alcohol or drugs, and that her phone records showed no evidence of texting or distracted driving. The judge took into account requests for leniency from victims and family members.⁠[6]

In court she said: “I will always live with the grief and loss caused by this tragedy.”⁠[6]

In 2021 Mars gave $1.25 million to The Catholic University of America to create a permanent plaza for Angels Unawares, a sculpture by Timothy Schmalz; her first gift to the university had supported its Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art.⁠[7]

She said: “The arts speak to everyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from.”⁠[7]

In 2025 Mars completed its acquisition of the snack company Kellanova; ForbesForbesForbes is an American business media brand that began with Forbes magazine, founded by B.C. Forbes in 1917. It is known for rankings such as the Forbes 400, the World’s Billionaires list and 30 Under 30, and operates Forbes.com, ForbesLive events and licensed editions in 81 countries. Since 2014 a majority stake has been held by the Hong Kong investment group Integrated Whale Media; a 2021 plan to list on the New York Stock Exchange through a special purpose acquisition company was terminated in 2022. It is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.Open the full entry records the deal as closing in December 2025 for $35.9 billion including debt.⁠[1][2]

In March 2026 Mars gave Bryn Mawr College $10 million to support undergraduate scholarships; the gift is named in honor of former president Kim Cassidy.⁠[3]

She said: “I hope this gift helps ensure that financial need is never a barrier to that opportunity.”⁠[3]

Forbes estimates that Mars owns about one-third of Mars, with her brother John MarsJohn MarsJohn Mars (John F. Mars) is an American businessman and a grandson of Frank C. Mars, founder of the candy, food and pet care company Mars. With his siblings he led the family business’s globalization, and he owns an estimated one-third of the company.Open the full entry owning another third and the four daughters of her late brother Forrest Jr. owning the rest. In its March 2026 World’s Billionaires list, Forbes estimated her net worth at $49.1 billion; its real-time estimate as of November 4, 2026, was about $50.3 billion.⁠[2]

Mars worked for the family company for nearly 20 years, serving as president of its Food Product Group; she retired in 2001 but remained a director, leaving the board in 2016.⁠[2][3][4]

Mars credits Forrest E. Mars Jr., John F. Mars and Jacqueline Badger Mars with leading the company’s globalization and with articulating the cultural foundation set by their father as its Five Principles. Forrest Sr. died in Miami in 1999 at age 96; Mars has been led by non-family management since 2001 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia.⁠[1]

Mars owns and operates Stonehall Farm, a working farm focused on organic agriculture, horse training and breeding; her Virginia horse farm has trained horses ridden by Olympic medalists.⁠[3][2]

She chaired the board of the Washington National Opera for six years and helped bring about the opera’s merger with the Kennedy CenterKennedy CenterThe Kennedy Center (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) is the national performing arts center in Washington, D.C., designated by Congress in 1964 as a “living memorial” to President John F. Kennedy and opened in 1971; after Donald Trump became chairman of its board in 2025, moves to rename it and close it for renovation became the subject of litigation.Open the full entry, and is the opera’s chairman emeritus; she is also vice chairman of the board of the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg, Virginia, has served on the board of the American Prairie Reserve and as honorary secretary of the Kennedy Center, and is involved with the Orange County Hounds, The Wilderness Society and the United States Equestrian Team Foundation.⁠[8]

For decades she served Bryn Mawr College as a trustee and was active as an alumna; she is now a trustee emeritus.⁠[3]

The National Archives Foundation describes her as “a businesswoman, philanthropist, and advocate for women’s education.”⁠[8]

Mars: Official website: https://www.mars.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]