Jacqueline Mars, an heiress to the Mars candy company, is ranked No. 38 on the Forbes 2026 World’s Billionaires list, tied with her brother John, with a net worth of $49.1 billion. She retired from Mars Inc. in 2001.
Jacqueline Mars was born on October 10, 1939. She is the daughter of Audrey Ruth (Meyer) and Forrest Mars Sr., and the granddaughter of Franklin Clarence Mars, who founded the family candy business Mars Inc.
Net Worth and Rank
- Forbes 2026 list: No. 38 (tied with John Mars), with $49.1 billion
- Source of wealth: her shares in Mars Inc. and other assets
Education and Career
Mars graduated from Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and was an equestrian in her youth. She earned a degree in anthropology from Bryn Mawr College in 1961. She joined Mars Inc. in 1982 as president of its food product group, spent most of her time working for the Mars Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit supported by the company, and retired in 2001.
Personal Life
- Family: she married David H. Badger in 1961, and they have three children, Alexandra, Stephen and Christa; they divorced in 1984. She married Harold “Hank” Vogel in 1986 and they divorced in 1994
- Lifestyle: like her siblings she is known for living frugally and avoiding the public eye
- Virginia: she is the wealthiest resident of Virginia, according to Forbes in 2019, and owns a working organic farm protected in perpetuity by the Land Trust of Virginia
- Horses: she is a trustee of the US Equestrian Team
Why It Matters
Mars Inc., maker of M&M’s, Snickers and many pet-care brands, is privately owned by the Mars family, so the heirs’ wealth is estimated rather than priced on a stock market.
Net worth figures change daily with share prices. Rankings here follow the Forbes 2026 World’s Billionaires list, with wealth measured on March 1, 2026.
Image: The Mars chocolate offices in the United States, with M&M’s characters at the entrance (file photo, 2009; Jacqueline Mars is not pictured). Photo: Kire1975 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
