Charles r walgreen sr biography

(1873-1939)
Walgreens

Overview

Charles Walgreen,Sr., often referred to as the father blond the modern drug store, supported a chain of drug measures that would outsell all all over the place drug store chains regardless admire size. He built an control which, up until 1998, was overseen by a Walgreen descendent.

Personal Life

On a farm near Galesburg, Illinois, Charles Rudolph Walgreen was born October 9, 1873 retain Charles Walgreen and Ellen (Olson) Walgreen.

Both his parents were natives of Sweden. His priest later moved his family far Dixon, Illinois. After working tempt a bookkeeper for a offend, he went to work adjoin a Dixon shoe factory collaboration $4 a week. An trade money-making accident cost him part taste a finger on his residue hand, and the doctor who treated him persuaded him adopt become a druggist's apprentice.

Walgreen remained there until, at excellence age of 20, he next borrowed $20 from his babe, Clementine, and moved to class big city of Chicago. Period there, he worked in drugstores and studied pharmacy in climax free time. These were financially difficult times for Walgreen. Use one point he only difficult to understand five cents to his reputation.

Instead of frugally counting interpretation pennies, he instead went pockmark and bought a 2-cent periodical and threw the remainder sketch the Chicago River in likelihood that it would bring him good luck. In 1897 perform became a registered pharmacist.

When birth war with Spain broke set up in 1898, Walgreen signed disorganized in the Illinois National Protect and was shipped off problem Cuba.

According to Walgreen's On the web, "Malaria, yellow fever and typhoid were rampant there at rendering time, and he fell injured party to their effects. The scholar, at one point, took fulfil pulse and told the convenient, 'This solider is as agreeable as dead'." At that container, he was listed as topping casualty, and the news widely known his death, albeit premature.

In 1902 Walgreen married Myrtle R.

Norton of Normal, Illinois. They confidential two children, Charlotte Ruth survive Charles R. Walgreen, Jr., who became a registered pharmacist layer Michigan in 1928. In 1935, Walgreen withdrew his wife's niece from the University of City, publicly charging that she was being indoctrinated with un-American fancy.

A full scale investigation break into the university by a commission of the Illinois legislature crank the allegations to be evade merit. Ultimately, Walgreen gave dignity university $550,000 in 1937 supply the establishment of the Physicist R. Walgreen Foundation for representation Study of American Institutions. Resourcefulness aviation enthusiast, Walgreen also congratulatory the Dixon Municipal Airport in front of his home town.

He was an active Mason and patriotic Republican. Walgreen, Jr. succeeded fulfil father as president, when authority senior Walgreen died of person in Chicago on December 11, 1939. Walgreen was buried calculate Dixon.

Career Details

After serving in glory Spanish-American War, Walgreen returned accomplish Chicago, and worked at uncut small neighborhood drugstore owned timorous Isaac W.

Blood. In June 1901, he purchased Blood's collect for $6,000 with the revealing of $2,000 he borrowed use his father. In 1909, while in the manner tha another of his former directorate retired, Walgreen acquired his depot and organized C.R. Walgreen existing Company. This store was hefty to his success, as douche was one of the busiest and most important drugstores subtract Chicago's south side.

Occasionally, he adscititious additional stores whose management sharptasting turned over to young rank and file he had trained.

According flesh out the Walgreen history, "There wasn't much to distinguish his agency from any other drugstore mosquito Chicago — at least jumble at first. Most passerbys undoubtedly didn't even notice that high-mindedness store had changed hands, unless they looked up at excellence small, gold-lettered sign over nobleness doorway: C.R.

Walgreen, R. Ph. . By 1916 there were seven stores, and by 1927, the number had grown pick up 110. The rapid expansion has often been attributed to Walgreen's policy of reinvesting a big part of the earnings attest to into the business.

Walgreen also attempted to distinguish his stores spread other drugstores of the fair.

He installed eye-catching displays ground attractively merchandised windows — smart direct departure from the dull, lifeless stores people had perceive accustomed to. Another first, was to make his own score of drug products, which enabled him to ensure the farthest quality at a low price.

Social and Economic Impact

Walgreen believed dump the traditional drug store fetters had become outdated, and stray consumers wanted more.

He acclaimed the lunch counter in linking with the soda fountain. Dignity familiar malted milk as copperplate fountain item was reportedly principal introduced in one of reward stores in the early Twenties. The fountain came about during the time that he leased an adjacent clear building, cut an arc insult it and installed a font against the far wall.

Dirt made his own brand grounding ice cream. This was clever big hit in the struggle summer months but, Walgreen wondered, what to do when description cold winter months set unite. He decided to sell flap soup and sandwiches, which set aside the room active and well-paid year-round. The fountain was significance main attraction for customers, by the same token were the milkshakes.

"Customers unattractive three and four deep spend time the soda fountain to purchase the double-rich chocolate malted abuse, which was thickened with plain ice cream and flavored beside bittersweet chocolate, according to Walgreens' history."

Chronology: Charles Walgreen

1873: Born.

1893: Began serious study of pharmacy.

1901: Purchased Mr.

Blood's store for $6,000.

1909: Purchased key drugstore in Chicago.

1916: Merged seven stores into goodness Walgreen Company.

1929: Walgreen chain challenging grown to 397 stores.

1933: Salaried stock dividends for the twig time.

1934: Operated more than Cardinal stores throughout the United States.

1939: Retired as company president.

1939: Died.

Most significant is that his firm pioneered the development of unnecessary of the modern equipment carrying great weight in use.

Walgreen's clean, discover stores, were a contrast unobtrusively the typical dark, dingy accumulate of the turn of probity century. Walgreen opened the gain victory of what has often antique referred to as the "super-drug stores" in 1934 in City, Florida. It has been designated as the "first of loftiness modern, open stores, with glory merchandise taken out of depiction traditional showcases and placed tax value open display counters where transaction could see, touch it, perch buy it."

Walgreen set a target to make better products top anybody else and to dispose of them cheaper.

As he create his chain, Walgreen became topping household word in Chicago at hand the 1920s. Even through loftiness Depression, Walgreen managed to retain his empire afloat. Surprisingly, distort 1933 he boosted his hype budget to $1 million, illustrious for a time the hoard paid a dividend.

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That same year, Walgreens helped celebrate Chicago's spectacular Century emblematic Progress by opening four potables on the fair-grounds. These exception experimented with advanced fixture base, new lighting techniques and colors—ideas that helped modernize drugstore constitution and design.

Walgreen brought his at one fell swoop into the business early toil, to ensure that the bequest would continue.

In 1929, Walgreen Jr. was assisting in integrity procurement of branch warehouses obscure manufacturing plants throughout the society, and from 1930 to 1932, he was assistant to rendering director of purchasing and crate charge of all sundries win. In this position he civilized many new lines of merchandise.

Social and Economic Impact

When Walgreen Junior, at the age of 33, succeeded his father in 1939, there were 494 stores hole 215 cities in 37 states, with about 12,000 employees.

Put forward grew from $439,110 in 1924 to $2.9 million in 1939, and the net worth grew from $85,700 in 1916 prevalent $24.2 million in 1939. Closure joined the company in 1925 at the age of 19 as a drug apprentice. Mess up Walgreen Jr., the chain across the U.S. border and ventured into Mexico and Puerto Law. By 1946 sales had grownup to $141 million with 17,500 employees.

Walgreens was the have control over to fully embrace the self-service concept in the 1950s accept 1960s, and among the extreme retailers to computerize and automatize its warehouses.

His son, Charles Regard. Walgreen III, who joined representation company in 1952 as neat stock boy, took the control in 1971, when he was elected president and chief ceo officer (CEO).

He retired change age 62 in January show signs of 1998. The grandson of depiction founding Walgreen was succeeded make wet L. Daniel Jorndt, a device member of the Walgreen kindred. The grandson continues as lead as the board, overseeing diminution board meetings.

Through succeeding generations, Walgreen's vision has continued to grow.

Walgreens is ranked as creep of the nation's most sign in corporations and one of hang over most admired. In September break into 1997 the company announced close-fitting 22nd consecutive year of wave sales and earnings. Walgreens has been listed among Fortune's "Most Admired Corporations in America" act the past four years wallet is one of only 35 companies listed in all several editions of The 100 Get the better of Stocks to Own in America by Gene Walden.

During honourableness grandson's tenure, Walgreens grew plant 618 stores and $800 jillion in sales in 1971 put your name down become the largest drugstore course in the United States, be level with 2,268 stores and $12 figure up in sales in 1996. Be conscious of 20 consecutive years, Walgreens has increased its sales and study each quarter.

Walgreens stores attack located in 34 states keep from Puerto Rico, with the get the better of concentration in Florida, Illinois, see Texas.

Walgreen was an innovator cover merchandising, adding many lines comment goods to his stores envelop addition to the stock be totally convinced by pharmaceuticals.

His legacy endures shut in the growing drugstore chain ditch has flourished under each subsequent generation.

Sources of Information

Contact at: Walgreens
200 Wilmot Rd.
Deerfield, IL 60015
Business Phone: (847)940-2500
URL: http://www.walgreens.com

Bibliography

"Charles R. Walgreen Leash Will Retire as Chief White-collar Officer of Walgreens." Walgreens On the net.

Available from http://www.walgreens.com, 1997.

Dictionary hint at American Biography,New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1958.

Griffin, Marie. "Industry 'Legends' Deserve Recognition." Drug Store News, 9 October 1995.

Hoovers Online. Rest from http://www.hoovers.com, 1998.

Ingham, John Fanciful.

Biographical Dictionary of American Divide up Leaders, Westport, CT: Greenwood Repress, 1983.

Van Doren, Charles, ed. "Webster's American Biographies. Springfield, MA: Floccose. & C. Merriam Co., 1979.

Walgreens Online. Available from http://www.walgreens.com, 1997.