Entrepreneur. He was the founder of the American drugstore Walgreens and known as "the father of the American drugstore." The son of Swedish immigrants who were farmers, he attended Dixon Business College after high school. His father had sold the farm and invested the money in real estate, which became the family's source of support. He worked as a low-paid accountant briefly before a factory job. After having the top joint of his middle finger amputated while working in a shoe factory, his physician suggested that he become an apprentice at the local drugstore, which lasted for 18 months. This was followed with him working as a clerk in a half-a-dozen drugstores. In 1893, Walgreen went to Chicago and became a registered pharmacist, passing the state examination in 1897. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, he enlisted and served in Co. "L" of the 1st Illinois Volunteer Infantry. While in Cuba, he was diagnosed with yellow fever and malaria, which gave him chronic problems for the rest of his life. Upon returning from war, he held a position at a local drugstore. With his father's financial backing, he started his own drugstore in 1901 on the south side of Chicago. He opened a second store in 1909 and by 1916 owned nine drug stores, which he incorporated as Walgreen Company. Walgreens was one of the first chains to carry non-pharmaceuticals as a mainstay of the store's retail selection. His store had a soda fountain counter for fast lunches, and one of Walgreen's employees was credited with the invention of the milkshake in 1920. In 1929, the company operated 397 stores. Like other pharmacy chains, Walgreens suffered sales declines during the Great Depression, but the firm remained profitable through the 1930s and planning for expansion at the end of World War II. By the time of his death, more than 490 stores were operated by the company, and he was managing a million-dollar business. He was CEO of his company until August 10th, before his December 1939 death. He died from cancer. After his death, his son, Charles "Chuck" Walgreen Jr., managed the company until 1963. At this point, Walgreen's grandson, Charles Walgreen III became the head of the business. According to "Forbes" magazine, Walgreens became an 817-million-dollar business by his son's retirement. Being honored for his contribution to the nation's workforce, he was a member of the United States Department of Labor Hall of Honor.