NFF Gold Medal Recipients
Biography
Before he was the “boy wonder” of the drugstore industry, Justin Dart was an All-Big Ten guard at Northwestern, helping the Wildcats to a 1926 conference title. Dart earned three letters in football, two in track and one in wrestling. He began his road to the top after marrying Ruth Walgreen, the daughter of Charles Walgreen, founder of the Walgreens drugstore chain.
Dart became an executive with his father-in-law's company, where 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 Ligget, 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. During these years, Dart had acquired stakes in Avon, West Bend Housewares, Duracell, Ralph Wilson Plastics, Archer Glass and Hobart, which were collectively known as Dart Industries. Dart Industries eventually merged with Kraft Foods.
Dart died in 1984, at the age of 76. Dart received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1987.
