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