Charles Rudolph Walgreen (October 9, 1873 – December 11, 1939) was an American businessman and the founder of Walgreens.
Early life
Walgreen was born on a farm near Galesburg, Illinois, before moving to Dixon, Illinois, in 1887.[2] He was the son of Swedish immigrants.
In the 1790s, Charles's great-great-great-grandfather, Sven Olofsson, adopted the surname Wahlgren during his military service, a family fact passed down over the generations. When Charles's father, Carl Magnus Olofsson, came to America from Sweden, he decided to change the family name to Walgreen.[3] When Charles was still quite young he and his family relocated to Dixon, Illinois, in 1887. He attended Dixon High School and Dixon Business College. He was a member of the international fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon.[4]