Raymond Albert Kroc
Former CEO of McDonald's
Ray Kroc, right, with McDonald’s executive Fred Turner in 1975.
Ray Kroc Timeline:
- October 5, 1902 - Ray Kroc is born in Oak Park, Illinois, to his father Alois Kroc, a Czechoslovakian immigrant, and Rosi Maria Hrach, an Austrian immigrant.
- June 28, 1914 - Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated, which results in a chain reaction across Europe that sends the continent into World War 1.
- 1917 - He drops out of High School at the age of 15 in order to help his country overseas. He plans on joining the Red Cross and becoming an ambulance driver. The war ended before he made it overseas. During this time, he would meet Walt Disney. (He later would try to put a McDonald's in Disneyland, but Walt refused.)
- 1919 - Ray meets his first wife, Ethel Fleming. The two fall in love and marry in 1922. During this time, the United States was going through the Roaring 20s.
- 1922 - He is hired to work for the company Lily-Tulip as a paper cup salesman. He would work in a variety of different industries prior to meeting the McDonald brothers.
- October 15, 1924 - His only child, Marilyn, was born in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1929 - The Great Depression hit the country and hurt many people, including his father, who had made a fortune on land speculation.
- June 15, 1937 - A day before his 58th birthday, Ray Kroc's father dies.
- 1938 - Ray Kroc starts his own company selling milkshake mixers. He sees an opportunity within the industry. This would be the business he would build for a while.
- December 7, 1941 - Pearl Harbor is attacked and sends shockwaves throughout the United States. Kroc's business struggles due to the change in demand.
- September 2, 1945 - World War 2 ends. Hundreds of thousands of servicemen return from the war, and America goes into an economic boom. This caused his milkshake mixer business to become very successful.
- 1954 - The McDonald brothers purchase 8 multi-mixers from Kroc, and he takes notice. He meets the innovative brothers and is impressed with their concept and requests to open up a franchise in Chicago.
- April 1955 - Ray Kroc opens up his first McDonald's in Des Plaines, Illinois.
- January 2, 1959 - Kroc's mother dies at the age of 77.
- 1961 - Ray Kroc buys out the McDonald brothers for $2.6 million (approximately $22.3 million in 2019 equivalent). The brothers keep their original restaurant, renamed Big M. Kroc later opened a competing McDonald's nearby that drove them and the first-ever McDonald's out of business by the end of the decade. Despite his business success, Kroc's first marriage ended in divorce this year.
- 1962 - Kroc and his team develop the logo of the Golden Arches and create their mascot, Ronald McDonald.
- 1963 - He marries Jane Dobbins Green.
- 1964 - In an effort to give more options to customers, Kroc is introduced to the Filet-O-Fish sandwich by a franchise owner. This was due to the demand for lent season and days when some religions would not eat ground beef.
- 1967 - After growing competition from Burger King's signature sandwich, "The Whopper," Kroc introduced the Big Mac. They also opened their first international restaurant.
- 1968 - He and Jane divorced after 5 years of marriage and no children.
- 1969 - He marries Joan Mansfield, who had also been divorced previously. The two would stay married until his death.
- 1971 - The Egg McMuffin is introduced within some franchises. It will eventually lead to Ray Kroc becoming the first fast food restaurant to begin serving breakfast.
- 1973 - Kroc retires from running McDonald's and would turn his attention to Baseball. He purchased the San Diego Padres.
- September 11, 1973 - His only daughter Marilyn dies.
- 1979 - Ray Kroc is fined by Major League Baseball for showing public interest in free agents. He becomes frustrated and turns over the operations of the team to his son-in-law, Ballard Smith.
- January 14, 1984 - Ray Kroc dies at the age of 84 years old. At the time of his death, he was worth $600 million. The Padres played the season in honor of him and made it to the World Series, where they lost to the Tigers.
- 1979 - Ray Kroc is fined by Major League Baseball for showing public interest in free agents. He becomes frustrated and turns over the operations of the team to his son-in-law, Ballard Smith.
- 1979 - Ray Kroc is fined by Major League Baseball for showing public interest in free agents. He becomes frustrated and turns over the operations of the team to his son-in-law, Ballard Smith.
“The quality of an individual is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” -- Ray Kroc