Jacqueline Mars
American heiress and philanthropist; co-owner of the confectionery, food and pet-care company Mars, Incorporated
| Jacqueline Mars
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 10 1939 (age 87 years old (as of 2026)
) |
| Occupation | businesswoman, philanthropist |
| Known for | Co-owner of Mars, Incorporated |
| Education | Bryn Mawr College (BA) |
Jacqueline Badger Mars (born 10 October 1939) is an American heiress and philanthropist. Forbes estimates that she owns about one-third of Mars, Incorporated, the privately held confectionery, food and pet-care company founded by her grandfather, Frank C. Mars.[1][2] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Jacqueline Mars 36th in the world (tied with her brother John Mars), with an estimated net worth of US$50.35 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as Candy, pet food.[1][3] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Jacqueline Mars 38th, at US$49.1 billion.[4]
Family background and education
Mars was founded in 1911, when Frank C. Mars began making and selling butter-cream sweets from his kitchen in Tacoma, Washington. In 1923 he introduced the Milky Way bar, developed after a conversation with his son, Forrest E. Mars Sr. The company moved to Chicago in 1929, the year Forrest Sr. formally joined it.[5] Ownership later passed to Forrest Sr.'s three children: Forrest Mars Jr., John Mars and Jacqueline Mars.[6] Forbes reports that the siblings inherited their stakes when their father died in 1999, and lists her degree from Bryn Mawr College.[1][7]
Business career
Forbes and the Observer report that Jacqueline Mars worked at the company for nearly 20 years and sat on its board until 2016, and that her son Stephen Badger is now a director.[1][6] According to the Observer, the family no longer runs the company day to day. External executives took over after John Mars retired in 2001, and the company has a supervisory board that includes six family members.[6] In December 2025 Mars completed its acquisition of Kellanova, owner of Pringles, Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts; Forbes puts the price at US$35.9 billion including debt.[8][1]
Wealth
Forbes gives the source of her wealth as candy and pet food. It estimates that she and John Mars each own about a third of the company, with most of the rest held by the four daughters of Forrest Mars Jr.[1] The Observer reported in August 2026 that Forbes valued the whole family's wealth at US$129 billion.[6] Forbes also notes that she owns a horse farm in Virginia that has trained horses ridden by Olympic medallists.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 26 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2001. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list, and, where applicable, the rank and estimate in the Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.[4][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) | Forbes 400 rank | Forbes 400 net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | – | – | 27 | 3.0 |
| 1997 | – | – | 30 | 3.3 |
| 1998 | – | – | 29 | 4.0 |
| 1999 | – | – | 27 | 5.5 |
| 2001 | 31 | 9.0 | 18 | 9.0 |
| 2002 | 26 | 9.0 | 13 | 10.0 |
| 2003 | 21 | 10.0 | 15 | 10.4 |
| 2004 | 27 | 10.4 | 17 | 10.0 |
| 2005 | 32 | 10.4 | 19 | 10.0 |
| 2006 | 44 | 10.0 | 21 | 10.5 |
| 2007 | 58 | 10.5 | 19 | 14.0 |
| 2008 | 46 | 14.0 | 20 | 12.0 |
| 2009 | 43 | 9.0 | 19 | 11.0 |
| 2010 | 52 | 11.0 | 26 | 10.0 |
| 2011 | 81 | 10.0 | 20 | 13.8 |
| 2012 | 52 | 13.8 | 16 | 17.0 |
| 2013 | 36 | 17.0 | 15 | 20.5 |
| 2014 | 31 | 20.0 | 19 | 22.0 |
| 2015 | 22 | 26.6 | 18 | 23.4 |
| 2016 | 27 | 23.4 | 16 | 27.0 |
| 2017 | 26 | 27.0 | 16 | 25.5 |
| 2018 | 34 | 23.6 | 18 | 24.0 |
| 2019 | 33 | 23.9 | 19 | 29.7 |
| 2020 | 29 | 24.7 | 20 | 29.0 |
| 2021 | 48 | 31.3 | 21 | 31.8 |
| 2022 | 41 | 31.7 | 19 | 37.0 |
| 2023 | 31 | 38.3 | 19 | 38.9 |
| 2024 | 35 | 38.5 | 19 | 47.6 |
| 2025 | 33 | 42.6 | 22 | 42.2 |
| 2026 | 38 | 49.1 | 21 | 50.3 |
Philanthropy and public roles
The National Archives Foundation lists Mars as its vice-president and a board member since 2016. It says she chaired the board of the Washington National Opera for six years and helped bring about the opera's merger with the Kennedy Center. It also lists her as vice-chairman of the National Sporting Library & Museum in Middleburg, Virginia, a board member of the American Prairie Reserve, a member of the council of The Wilderness Society, and honorary secretary of the Kennedy Center.[9] In November 2012 the Foundation for the National Archives gave her its first Heritage Award, at a gala chaired by David M. Rubenstein.[2] OPERA America gave her a 2016 National Opera Trustee Recognition Award for her work with the Washington National Opera.[10]
Inside Philanthropy reported in 2014 that none of the three Mars heirs had signed the Giving Pledge. It said the family's Mars Foundation, which shares a mailing address with Mars, Inc. in McLean, Virginia, held about US$15 million at the end of 2012 and gave mainly small grants to conservation, wildlife, arts and human-services groups. It also cited Kennedy Center annual reports showing several US$1 million gifts from the Mars family.[11]
Political activity
Inside Philanthropy reported in 2014 that she had been a steady donor to the League of Conservation Voters, that she and her brothers had given to the Republican Party, and that she gave to John McCain in 2008.[11] Itemised FEC records filed under the name "Mars, Jacqueline B" for the 2022–2026 cycles are summarised below.[12]
Across the 12 non-memo records retrieved for the 2022–2026 cycles, the filtered total is US$46,300 (a lower bound). The largest recipient committees, as named in the filings, were WHITEHOUSE VICTORY FUND 2024 (US$10,000), MATSUI FOR CONGRESS (US$7,000), OCEANS PAC (US$5,000), THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY ACTION FUND POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC) (US$5,000), HALEY STEVENS FOR SENATE (US$5,000).[12]
| Cycle | Total (US$, lower bound) | Records | Largest recipient committees (as filed with the FEC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $23,300 | 5 | WHITEHOUSE VICTORY FUND 2024 ($10,000); THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY ACTION FUND POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC) ($5,000); REID FOR CONGRESS ($5,000); SUHAS FOR VIRGINIA ($3,300) |
| 2026 | $23,000 | 7 | MATSUI FOR CONGRESS ($7,000); OCEANS PAC ($5,000); HALEY STEVENS FOR SENATE ($5,000); MARK WARNER VICTORY FUND ($3,500) |
Controversies and legal issues
No legal proceedings or controversies involving her personally were found in the sources checked.
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Home government
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Jacqueline Mars (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/jacqueline-mars/) Forbes, live record, read 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 National Archives Foundation, Foundation for the National Archives Presents 2012 Heritage Award to Philanthropist Jacqueline Badger Mars National Archives Foundation, 16 November 2012, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Mars, Incorporated, Our History Mars, Incorporated, undated, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Shaili Singh, Who Owns Mars? Inside the $129B Reclusive Family Behind the Candy Empire Observer, 12 August 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes profile record for John Mars (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/john-mars/) Forbes, live record, read 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Mars, Incorporated, Mars Completes Acquisition of Kellanova Mars, Incorporated (press release), 11 December 2025, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ National Archives Foundation, Jacqueline B. Mars National Archives Foundation, undated, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ OPERA America, OPERA America Announces Recipients of Its 2016 National Opera Trustee Recognition Awards OPERA America (press release), 26 January 2016, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 David Callahan, Exploring Planet Mars: Where Will That $80 Billion Candy Fortune End Up? Inside Philanthropy, 21 August 2017 (originally published 2014), accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 U.S. Federal Election Commission, OpenFEC Schedule A (itemised individual contributions) query, contributor name "MARS, JACQUELINE"; 2026 cycle shown in link, the 2022, 2024 and 2026 cycles were queried together with the same parameters; top 100 records by amount; compiler filtered records by employer/occupation and name and excluded memo entries U.S. Federal Election Commission, data as filed; queried 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.