Justin Whitlock Dart Sr. (August 17, 1907 – January 26, 1984) was an American businessman, considered the "boy wonder" of the drug store industry. In college Dart had played football for Northwestern University.

Biography

He was born on August 17, 1907. After marrying Ruth Walgreen, Dart became an executive with his father-in-law's ( Charles Walgreen) company, the Walgreens Drugstore chain. At Walgreens, he introduced the concept of placing the pharmacy counter at the back of the drug store, which not only provided privacy for medical concerns, but forced patrons to walk past many items for possible purchase. Dart divorced his first wife, Ruth Walgreen, and left the Walgreen company shortly after. In 1943, Dart took control of the Boston-based United Drug Company. The chain operated under the Liggett, Owl, Sonta, and Rexall brands. Soon, Dart rebranded the stores under the Rexall name. After 35 years, Dart sold his stake in Rexall in 1978. Not long afterwards, he said "I would like my retirement and death to be simultaneous." During these years, Dart had acquired stakes in

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, West Bend Housewares,

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, Ralph Wilson Plastics, Archer Glass and

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

, which were collectively known as Dart Industries. In 1980, Dart sold his company to Kraft Industries. Although Dart Industries never owned

, it was the former parent company to Tupperware Home Parties. Dart Industries eventually merged with Kraft Foods.

Death

Dart died from congestive heart failure in 1984, aged 76.

Presidential Medal of Freedom

Dart received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1987."Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1981-1989"
''Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum'' Retrieved on 2018-03-13

Family

Dart and his second wife, former actress Jane Bryan (1918–2009), were married on

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in 1939, and remained married until his death in 1984. The couple had three children. Dart and Bryan were staunch Republicans and helped convince their close friend, former California Governor

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

, to run for the presidency of the United States in 1980. His son by his first marriage,

Justin Whitlock Dart Jr. Justin Whitlock Dart Jr. (August 29, 1930 – June 22, 2002) was an American activist and advocate for people with disabilities. He helped to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, co-founded the American Association of People with Di ...

was an advocate for the disabled. In 1989, Dart Jr. was appointed by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

to the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. Dart Jr. also helped pass the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

of 1990; he died in 2002 of complications related to polio.

Note

Despite being in the drugstore industry, Justin Dart had no known connections to Dart Drug, founded by Herbert Haft.

Sources

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dart, Justin Whitlock 1907 births 1984 deaths American businesspeople in retailing American football guards Northwestern Wildcats football players Sportspeople from Evanston, Illinois 20th-century American businesspeople Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Illinois Republicans