George Albert Ralphs (September 23, 1850 – June 21, 1914) was an American businessman. He founded the

Ralphs Ralphs is an American supermarket chain in Southern California. The largest subsidiary of Cincinnati-based Kroger, it is the oldest such chain west of the Mississippi River. Kroger also operates stores under the Food 4 Less and Foods Co. nam ...

supermarket chain in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

, with the help of his brother Walter.

Early life and career

George Albert Ralphs was born in

Joplin, Missouri Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jas ...

in 1850. His family moved to California on a

prairie schooner ''Prairie Schooner'' is a literary magazine published quarterly at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with the cooperation of UNL's English Department and the University of Nebraska Press. It is based in Lincoln, Nebraska and was first publish ...

and a yoke of oxen when he was a boy. Once he was settled in

San Bernardino San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...

, George Ralphs was trained as an expert bricklayer and even developed a reputation as “Champion Bricklayer of California.” Ralphs also worked in Los Angeles, after losing an arm in an accident, he gave up bricklaying and found work as a clerk in a small grocery store. In 1873, he had saved enough money to purchase his own grocery at Sixth and Spring Streets. He opened his first store, Ralphs and Francis, in 1873, in the

Spring Street Financial District Spring Street in Los Angeles is one of the oldest streets in the city. Along Spring Street in Downtown Los Angeles, from just north of Fourth Street to just south of Seventh Street is the NRHP-listed Spring Street Financial District, nicknamed ...

of Los Angeles with S. A. Francis. From then on, Ralphs prospered, operating three of the largest stores in Los Angeles. In 1879, Ralphs bought Francis's share of the company for $2,000 and took his brother Walter as a business partner and renamed their business to "Ralphs Brothers". The company was incorporated in 1909 as Ralphs Grocery Company.McGroarty 1921, p. 271. Today, Ralphs supermarkets are owned by the

Kroger The Kroger Company, or simply Kroger, is an American retail company that operates (either directly or through its subsidiaries) supermarkets and multi-department stores throughout the United States. Founded by Bernard Kroger in 1883 in Cinci ...

Company, with locations in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Personal life

Ralphs married Wallula Von Keith on July 23, 1896. The couple had two children, Annabell and Albert George. Albert later became the vice-president and manager of Ralphs Grocery Company.

Death

On June 21, 1914, Ralphs was with his family for a weekend trip to the San Bernardino Mountains. While taking a walk with his wife in Waterman's Canyon, Ralphs stopped to rest on top of a boulder. As he attempted to help his wife up to sit beside him, the boulder became dislodged and began rolling down the mountain side along with Ralphs. In the process, one of his legs got caught and was severely injured. He was taken to Ramona Hospital (now known as Community Hospital of San Bernardino) where he underwent surgery to have his injured leg amputated. Ralphs awoke from the surgery and spoke to his wife for a few minutes, but died of

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later that afternoon. Ralphs's body was shipped back to Hollywood where he and his family lived. His funeral was held on June 24. He was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Los Angeles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ralphs, George 1850 births 1914 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople Accidental deaths in California American amputees Burials at Evergreen Cemetery, Los Angeles People from Joplin, Missouri People from San Bernardino, California People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Businesspeople from Los Angeles American grocers