Russell C. Stover
| Russell Stover | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Russell William Stover Alton, Kansas |
| Died | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Confectioner |
| Known for | Founder, Russell Stover Candies |
| Spouse(s) | Clara Mae Lewis |
| Website | http://www.russellstover.com/ |
Russell William Stover (May 6, 1888 – May 11, 1954) was an American chemist and entrepreneur, and co-founded, with his wife Clara, Russell Stover Candies.
In 1911, Stover married Clara Mae Lewis, whom he had met at the Iowa City Academy, and they moved to a 580-acre (2.3 km2) 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 re-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.
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.
Stover went into partnership with Nelson, and their agreement was signed on the letterhead of the Graham Ice Cream Company of Omaha. Stover renamed the I-Scream Bar to Eskimo Pie and took out the stick to make it a sandwich. Stover has also been credited, through his knowledge of chemistry, with devising the formula for the chocolate shell that hardens on exposure to cold and holds the ice cream contents within. Nelson patented the confection on January 24, 1922.
The Eskimo Pie immediately became so successful, the factory could not keep up with demand and the company licensed the formula to 1,500 manufacturers in exchange for a royalty of one cent per dozen sold. The treat was marketed under the brand of Russell Stover Company and, in April 1922, The New York Times stated that the partners had received US$30,000 a week in royalties in the first year.
Following upon the success of the Eskimo Pie, competing manufacturers soon came up with similar, but different, processes for making frozen ice cream pies, and at one point Stover and Nelson were paying $4,000 per day in legal fees to defend their patent, a battle which they ultimately lost.
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