Russell William Stover (May 6, 1888 – May 11, 1954) was an American chemist and entrepreneur, and co-founder, with his wife Clara, of Russell Stover Candies.
Early life
In 1911, Stover married Clara Mae Lewis, whom he had met at the Iowa City Academy, and they moved to a 580 acre farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, which they received as a wedding gift. On the farm, they raised wheat and flax but after a year, they considered the venture to have been a failure and, in 1912, they moved to Winnipeg.
Stover then entered the candy industry. He first went to work for a Minnesota candy company and then for the A. G. Morris Candy Company in Chicago. In 1918, the couple moved to Des Moines, where Stover worked for the Irwin Candy Company, and then they moved to Omaha, Nebraska.[1]
Eskimo Pie
On July 31, 1921, Christian Nelson of Onawa, Iowa, pitched the concept of mass-producing a chocolate-covered ice cream treat called the I-Scream Bar to Russell Stover. Seven companies had previously rejected the idea because the confection easily melted away.