Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc | |
|---|---|
Kroc in 1976 | |
| Born | Raymond Albert Kroc October 5, 1902 Oak Park, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 1984 (aged 81) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | El Camino Memorial Park |
| Spouses | Ethel Fleming
(m. 1922; div. 1961)Jane Dobbins Green
(m. 1963; div. 1968)Joan Smith (m. 1969) |
| Children | 1 |
| Notes | |
Raymond Albert Kroc (October 5, 1902 – January 14, 1984) was an American businessman who was instrumental in turning McDonald's into the most successful global fast food corporation by revenue. He purchased it from the McDonald Brothers in 1961, after several years as their franchising agent, and served as its CEO from 1967 to 1973.
Kroc was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and worked a variety of jobs, including as a paper cup salesman and a musician, before eventually becoming a milkshake mixer salesman. In 1954, he visited a hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, California, owned by Richard and Maurice McDonald. Kroc was impressed with the efficiency and speed of the restaurant's operations, and he convinced the brothers to allow him to franchise the concept.
Under Kroc's leadership, McDonald's grew rapidly due to Kroc's focus on aggressive expansion, opening new restaurants across the United States and eventually internationally. Kroc became the owner of McDonald's Corporation in 1961 and is credited as its founder, due to his influence as a franchise agent and principal role in the company's expansion, despite not having founded the company.[4]
After retiring from McDonald's, he owned the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball from 1974 until his death in 1984.
- ^ "Ray Kroc" (Fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). Newsmakers. Biography In Context. Detroit Michigan: Gale. 1985. Gale Document Number: GALE|K1618001946. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
- ^ Cicarelli, James (2003). "Ray Kroc" (Fee, via Fairfax County Public Library). In Arnold Markoe; Kenneth T. Jackson (eds.). Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. Retrieved June 12, 2011. Gale Biography In Context.
- ^ Anderson, Robert (March 2009). "Ray Kroc How He Made McDonald's Sizzle". Success. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011. (excerpt from September 1977 article)
- ^ "The Mc Donald's Man: What Ray Kroc Hath Wrought Around the World". People. May 19, 1975. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2013.