JAMES O. WELCH: THE MAN WHO GAVE US SUGAR DADDY & JUNIOR MINTS

• Candy Empire Builder: Welch founded his Cambridge company in 1927 and created Junior Mints, Sugar Daddy, and Sugar Babies. These brands remain popular a century later.
• Strategic Business Leader: He sold to Nabisco in 1963 and served as director for fifteen years. His son later became Nabisco president, keeping the family legacy alive.
• Industrial Pioneer: Welch helped make Cambridge America's candy capital. His manufacturing techniques for caramel and chocolate set standards the industry still uses.

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BIRTH & EARLY YEARS

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1906

James Overman Welch was born in Hertford, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina and learned the business skills he would need to build a candy empire.

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SUGAR DADDY ORIGINS

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1925

Robert Welch, James's brother, created the Papa Sucker candy. This caramel lollipop later became Sugar Daddy.

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COMPANY FOUNDATION

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1927

James Welch opened his candy company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He picked Cambridge because dozens of candy makers worked there, sharing resources and knowledge.

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SUGAR DADDY REBRAND

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1932

Papa Sucker became Sugar Daddy. The new name used popular slang and suggested sweet abundance. Welch understood what customers wanted.

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SUGAR BABIES

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1935

Chemist Charles Vaughan created Sugar Babies as bite-sized caramels. Named after a popular song, they targeted movie theater sales during Hollywood's boom.

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JUNIOR MINTS

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1949

Charles Vaughan invented Junior Mints by coating mint centers with chocolate. Welch named them after the Broadway play Junior Miss. The pun worked, and the candy became a theater favorite.

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NABISCO ACQUISITION

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1963

Nabisco bought the James O. Welch Company. Welch joined their board to watch over his brands while gaining national distribution.

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WELCH'S RETIREMENT

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1978

After fifteen years on the Nabisco board, Welch retired. His son James Jr. took over candy operations and later became Nabisco president.

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WELCH'S DEATH

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1985

James Welch died in Florida at seventy-nine. He built a candy empire and changed how Americans bought treats at the movies.

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TOOTSIE ROLL

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1993

Tootsie Roll Industries bought the Welch brands from Nabisco. The Cambridge factory still runs today, making millions of Junior Mints daily using Welch's methods.