Valentin'es Day is one week away. Romance is in the air… and has littered store shelves for
weeks. Cards, jewelry, and stuffed animals catch the shopper’s eyes, as do dozens
of heart-shaped candy boxes; delectable chocolates in various sizes, some with
nuts, some without and others with fruity fillings. While choosing a sentiment for
your sweetie, odds are good you’ll gift him or her with a box of Russell Stover
Candies, the largest producer of boxed chocolates in the United States.
Russell Stover |
Russell
Stover was born May 6, 1888 in Alton, Kansas. His parents had moved to Alton from
Iowa to Kansas to seek a fortune, but returned to Iowa to farm after a Kansas
drought. As a young man, Stover attended Iowa City Academy. From there he went to
the University of Iowa to study chemistry. He left the university after one
year and moved to Chicago to earn a living as a salesman. His first endeavor
was with a candy company. His second job was with the American Tobacco Company.
It was right before he made his move to Chicago that he met Clara Lewis at a
sweet shop.
Clara Stover |
Clara
was born in 1882 and grew up on a farm near Oxford. As a young woman, she borrowed
money from a neighbor to study music at Iowa City Academy. She had seen Russell
around campus, noting he was tall, with blue eyes and a winsome smile, and
thought he was an industrious student.
Russell
and Clara hit it off from the beginning. Each were big dreamers, and after a
courtship, they married June of 1911. One of their wedding gifts was a farm in
Canada, but growing wheat in Saskatchewan didn’t pan out for them, so
they moved to Winnepeg and began a
candy-making business in their apartment. They moved back to the states
in 1915 when rumors of an impending war reached them.
Russell
Stover turned to selling candy throughout the Midwest to earn a living. In
1920, he and Clara moved to Des Moines where he took a job as superintendent of
Irwin Candy Co. The company failed and the court appointed Stover to run the
company. He sold the assets to Graham Ice Cream Co in Omaha. He and Clara moved
there, with Russell going to work for Graham Ice Cream.
In
1921, Stover met Christian Nelson, a school teacher and soda jerk who had the
idea for a chocolate covered ice cream bar. Russell and Clara partnered with
Nelson and eventually the Eskimo Pie was born. During this time, Clara
continued experimenting with chocolate and sweet treats in her kitchen,
perfecting her skills and recipes. Later, she and Russell sold their share in
Eskimo Pie and started Mrs. Stover’s Bungalow Candies in Denver, with Clara as
the president and secretary and Russell as vice-president and treasurer. They
were a hit with the public and hired workers to help in their home before
opening their first factory in Denver in 1925. A second factory opened in
Kansas City in 1931, with Russell and Clara now making their home in Kansas
City. The company struggled through the Depression and World War I. Russell and
Clara lost much of their wealth, and in 1943, determined to rebuild and succeed
again, they restructured the company to form a partnership with faithful employees.
The company was renamed Russell Stover Candy, with Clara’s name being removed.
Russell & Clara in younger years |
During
their long marriage, Russell and Clara had one daughter, Gloria. Russell died
May 11, 1954 in Miami at the couple’s home. Clara died June 9, 1975 in Mission
Hills, Kansas. She was 93. After Russell’s death, Clara managed the company
until 1960, when Russell Stover Candies was sold to Louis Ward. In July of
2014, Swiss-chocolate maker Lindt bought Russell Stover Candies and remains the
owner.
3 comments:
You made me want chocolate! 😉 Fascinating post and very timely.
Well, who knew? Very interesting. thanks for that!
Glad you ladies enjoyed. I didn't know anything about them until I decided to do a Valentine's post on candy.
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