Douglas Dayton, first president of Target Stores, died earlier this month in Wayzata, Minn. He was 88.
Dayton was part of the third generation of the family that started the Minneapolis-based department store chain, the Dayton Co.
When the family-owned business created the Target discount chain in 1961, he was put in charge.
The first Target opened in May 1962 in Roseville, Minn. By the end of that year, three other Target stores were open, all in the suburbs of Minneapolis and its twin city, St. Paul. In 1966, Target expanded outside Minnesota, opening stores around Denver.
Dayton’s eventually merged with the J.L. Hudson Co. of Detroit, in 1969, and Target so outgrew its parent that in 2000 the name was changed to Target Corp. All the department stores have since been sold off.
But Dayton was long gone from the organization. After the merger, he became senior vp of administration for Dayton Hudson Corp., and left the company in 1974 to start venture capitalist Dade Development Capital. He retired in 1994.
His survivors include his brother Bruce, the last living of the five brothers. His nephew, Mark Dayton, is governor of Minnesota.