Walgreen, Charles R(udolph) (1873–1939)

US pharmacist and drugstore chain owner. He bought his first store in 1902 and by 1927 had 110 outlets. He continued to manufacture some of his drugs to keep prices competitive and quality high; by 1939, 25,000 different articles were being manufactured by Walgreen. His drugstore innovations included lunch counters that had soda fountains, and he is credited with introducing the ‘malted milk’.

He was born near Galesburg, Illinois. An accident in a shoe factory led to the loss of part of a finger on his left hand; the doctor who treated him pursuaded him to become a pharmacist's apprentice. In 1893 he went to Chicago, became a registered pharmacist in 1897, and then fought in the Spanish-American War. He returned to Chicago and worked as a pharmacist for Issac W Blood, whom he bought out in 1902 when Blood retired. He acquired his second store in 1909 and organized C R Walgreen and Company. In 1916 the name was changed to the Walgreen Company, with seven stores.

He established the Charles R Walgreen Foundation for the Study of American Institutions at the University of Chicago in 1937.