James Dewar (baker)

James Alexander Dewar (February 5, 1897 – June 30, 1985) was the inventor of the Twinkie.

Biography

He was born on February 5, 1897. Dewar worked at the Continental Baking Company, which later through a series of mergers and acquisitions became Hostess Brands. He started as a delivery boy in 1920 by delivering pastries by horse-drawn cart. Dewar eventually rose up through the ranks to be a plant manager.

In 1931, Dewar's plant was making strawberry shortcakes but only during strawberry season. Dewar came up with an idea to create a shortcake with cream on the inside instead of strawberries. Having seen a billboard for a shoe company called the "Twinkle Toe Shoe Co." he was inspired to call his shortcake invention a "Twinkie". ^[1]

Dewar rose to be regional vice-president at Hostess and held that position until 1972. He died on June 30, 1985.^[2]

References

1. ^ Belcher, Jerry (July 3, 1985). "Man Who Concocted the Twinkie Dies : James A. Dewar's Treat Is Part of America's Diet and Folklore". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-03/local/me-10272_1_twinkie-defense. Retrieved 2011-08-03. "It was Dewar's inspiration to fill the cakes with a sugar-cream mixture, the formula for which is still a tightly held secret." 
2. ^ "James Dewar, Inventor Of The Twinkle, Dies". Los Angeles Times. July 2, 1985. http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-02/news/mn-565_1_dewar-age-james. Retrieved 2011-04-06. "Dewar, who said he ate at least two packets of Twinkies a week, vigorously defended the wholesomeness of the snack, which has been described as the "cream ..." 

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Name	Dewar,James
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Date of birth	February 5, 1897
Place of birth
Date of death	June 30, 1985
Place of death