Kroc, Ray (1902–1984)

Founder of McDonald's Corporation

Born in Chicago, Raymond Albert Kroc spent so much time thinking up wild schemes and business ideas during his adolescent and teenage years that family and friends considered him a bona fide daydreamer. No one in Ray's family ever believed or conceived he would eventually become a legendary entrepreneur and business genius. Although Ray ran a very successful lemonade stand and was a hardworking drug store helper as a child, his first attempt (during his sophomore year at high school) at establishing a serious business endeavor, a music store specializing in sheet music and novelty instruments, failed.

The United States entered World War I during the spring of Ray's sophomore year; shortly thereafter, Ray managed to convince his parents to let him join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver, though it meant lying about his age to gain entry. The armistice ending the war was signed before he deployed to France, so he did not see overseas action.

Ray soon realized his penchant for action and dislike of academics. He tried returning to school at his parents' request, but only lasted a semester. For the next thirty-five years, Ray honed his business knowledge and his ability to find opportunity in places others overlooked. He was very successful during his career as a paper cup salesman, but not as successful as he would become in the hamburger business at the age of fifty-two. Later in life, Ray Kroc liked to remind people that his seemingly overnight success with McDonald's was in fact the product of more than four decades of experience as an entrepreneur and a very hard worker.

Ray Kroc stands in front of one of his franchises holding a hamburger and a drink.

Bettmann/Corbis; used with permission.