BLUE BELL, PA. — Philip J. Baur Jr., former chairman of Tasty Baking Co. and president of its Tastykake Inc. subsidiary, died Aug. 30 at his vacation home in Florida. He was 84 years old.

Mr. Baur’s father, Philip, co-founded Tasty Baking in 1914 along with Herbert C. Morris. The younger Baur joined the company after graduating from Haverford College in 1952, a year after his father’s death.

Philip J. Baur Jr.

Mr. Baur held many positions at the company, but his most significant contribution came in the early 1980s when the company’s signature line, Tastykakes, were experiencing profit declines for the first time in more than six decades. With the help of Nelson G. Harris, a former vice-president and treasurer at Tasty Baking throughout the 1960s who had gone on to become a lawyer and accountant, Mr. Baur was able to wrest control away from the chief executive officer at the time, Paul R. Keiser. Mr. Keiser, who was Mr. Baur’s brother-in-law, had been c.e.o. for nearly 30 years.

Following the coup, Mr. Harris retained the title of president of Tasty Baking and was given the additional title of c.e.o., while Mr. Baur was named chairman, a position he held until 1998. In 2003, he was named chairman of the Quality Council, where he was responsible for expanding the company’s efforts to ensure that every Tastykake product meets the highest quality standards. After his retirement, Mr. Baur remained on the board of directors.