Douglas James Dayton

Douglas James Dayton

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Dayton
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113483756/douglas_james_dayton

Dayton, the man who led the transformation of a family department store into retailing giant Target Corp., has died at the age of 88.

Dayton's wife, Wendy Dayton, confirmed his death Sunday. She said the resident of Wayzata, west of Minneapolis, died Friday after a long battle with cancer.

Douglas James Dayton was the youngest of George Nelson Dayton's five sons who took over the family's downtown Minneapolis department store from their father in 1948.

Douglas Dayton started working in the family business after serving in an Army infantry division in Europe during World War II, where he was injured and received a Purple Heart.

Having worked as a store manager, Dayton sensed the threat of discount retailers like Kmart

In 1960, he became the first president of Target, and within two years, the company had opened four Target stores in the Twin Cities suburbs.

'Target was the best job I had,' he recalled in a May interview with the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune

According to an obituary prepared by his family, Douglas Dayton left the Target presidency in 1968 and returned to help run the Dayton-Hudson department store parent company.

That business eventually was consolidated into Target Corp.

The company has expanded nationally and into Canada, and is now ranked No. 36 on the Fortune 500. The Dayton family has not been involved in its ownership or operations for a number of years.

Dayton, Douglas James Was born in Minneapolis on Dec. 2,1924 and died at the age of 88 on July 5, 2013. Doug was the youngest son of deceased Grace Bliss Dayton and George Nelson Dayton. Doug was also predeceased by brothers, Donald (Lucy), Wallace, and Kenneth.

Doug graduated from Blake School in 1942 where he was voted most gentlemanly, best dressed and most likely to succeed. His college education at Amherst College was interrupted by his entrance to the Army in 1943. He arrived to join Patton's army 30 days after D-Day at Omaha Beach. He was a mortar sergeant, 5th Infantry Division, ETO. He was injured during the war and received the Purple Heart and French Legion of Honor.

Doug began his career with his four brothers at Dayton's in 1948. He held many positions in the department store beginning in the receiving room before moving to Rochester to run the first remote location in 1954. In 1960 Doug became the Founder and First President of Target. Doug executed and shepherded the growth of Target until 1968 when he was needed back at the Corporate Headquarters to become SR. Vice President of Administration of Dayton-Hudson Corp.

Eventually Dayton's and other acquisitions were consolidated and sold and the new corporate name became Target. Missing the day-to- day hands on experience of Target. Doug left the company to start Dade Development Capital in 1974, where he remained until his retirement in 1994.

Doug's life was filled with remarkable service to his community. He served on the board of the YMCA for 50 years and was its chair in 1969 leading it through various fundraising campaigns. He also served on the boards of The Urban League, Summit Academy OIC, The Raptor Center of the University of MN, The Police Athletic League