Clara Stover

Clara Stover
Born	Clara Mae Lewis 1882 (1882) Oxford, Iowa, U.S.
Died	1975 (aged 92–93) Kansas City, Missouri
Occupation(s)	Candy maker, company owner
Years active	1910s–1975
Known for	Creating Russell Stover Candies, with husband and co-founder, Russell Stover

Christian Kent Nelson, co-founder with Russell Stover, of the "Eskimo Pie" ice cream bar, portrait from 1922

Russell Stover headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri

Clara Mae Stover (1882-1975) was the wife and co-founder of candy maker, Russell Stover, who created Russell Stover Candies. Clara Mae solely ran the company following Russell's death.

Early life and marriage

Clara Mae Stover was born in Oxford, Iowa, in 1882. Clara Mae was raised on a farm, with her three sisters, who were required to do manual labor since their parents had no sons. Through the strong influence of her grandmother, Clara Stover was a very independent woman, who took the initiative to be self-reliant and knew how to get things done. Clara and Russell Stover met, as students in Iowa City, Iowa, at the Iowa City Academy. Over the years, they kept in touch and got married in 1911. The Stovers decided to buy a 580-acre, wheat and flax farm in Saskatchewan, Canada, but the heavy rains destroyed their crops.

Introduction to candy industry

Russell Stover was hired by a candy company, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Years later, the Stovers decided to move back to the United States, where Russell worked for confectioners, in Des Moines, Iowa and Chicago, Illinois, during the 1910s. Throughout the process, Russell Stover became very familiar with the candy-making process. Everything, from the production to the sale, of chocolates. This began Clara and Russell's dream of a chocolate empire, that still thrives today. Clara Stover would actually dip the chocolates, herself, in their apartment kitchen. Russell Stover, would in turn, sell them to neighborhood druggists, on the weekends.

Naming the "Eskimo Pie"

Iowa schoolteacher Christian Nelson had the idea of enrobing a block of vanilla ice cream with melted chocolate. He partnered with Russell Stover, then studying chemistry at the University of Iowa, to develop a workable process of doing so without melting the ice cream. In 1921 a patent was granted, allowing Nelson's concept to be mass produced. At a dinner party, Clara suggested calling the novelty an "Eskimo Pie", which became a national sensation. Russell was soon offered licensing agreements, and buyout offers into the millions of dollars. Instead of taking the buyout offers he focused on suing imitators. Ultimately he waited too long and sales plummeted, into the mere several thousands of dollars.

Stover Candy Company

The Stovers relocated to Denver, Colorado and used their meager earnings to create their own confectionery company, "Mrs. Stover's Bungalow Candies". With success came factories in Denver and Kansas City, Missouri. In 1931 the company headquarters was moved to Kansas City, sales having increased from 20,000 to 11 million pounds. In 1943 the company was renamed "Russell Stover Candies".

Mrs. Stover and Stover candy legacy

In 1954 Russell Stover died and Clara took over, running the business until 1960. At the time of his death there were 40 company-owned stores and their candy was sold in 2,000 pharmacies and department stores nationwide.

Later years

In 1975, Clara Stover died in Kansas City, where she had lived with her husband. Her cremated remains are inurned with those of her daughter and husband at Mount Moriah Cemetery in Kansas City.