Sam Born


Sam Born was an American businessman, candy maker and inventor.

Biography

Born to a Jewish family in Vinnitsia, Russian Empire, Born, under his original name - Samuel Bernstein - emigrated to the United States in December 1909; he sailed on the S/S Merion from Liverpool to Philadelphia; on the ship's passenger list, his occupation was listed as "candy maker". In 1916, Sam Born was awarded the "key to the city" of San Francisco for inventing a machine that mechanically inserted sticks into lollipops. In 1923, he founded Just Born company in Brooklyn, New York; a candy manufacturer that still manufactures Peeps, Mike and Ike, and Hot Tamales. In 1932, he relocated the firm to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In March 1959, Samuel H. Born died on board the Cunard liner, Britannic, while it was at sea, having departed from Lisbon en route to Southampton. He and his wife were on the last lap of a 14,000 mile world cruise, according to his obituary which appeared in The Morning Call, on March 24, 1959.