Joseph A. Albertson, the grocery magnate who built a Boise store into the nation's sixth-largest supermarket chain, died early Thursday at his Boise home. He was 86.
Albertson was born Oct. 17, 1906, in Yukon, Okla., and grew up in Caldwell, about 20 miles west of Boise. After high school, he took business courses at the private College of Idaho in Caldwell.With $5,000 of his own and $7,500 borrowed from his aunt, Albertson bought a Boise grocery store with L.S. Skaggs and Tom Cuthbert in 1939.
The first Albertson's introduced a number of services unheard of in markets of the day. A scratch bakery, one of the first magazine racks in the country and "Big Joe's" homemade ice cream cones.
By the end of 1991, the last for which complete records are available, the company had about 670 stores in 19 western and southern states and employed more than 60,000 people.
Albertson resigned from the company in 1989, but he and Mrs. Albertson remained on the board of directors. Gary Michael, who joined Albertson's in 1966, is chairman of the board and chief executive officer.
Albertson is survived by his wife and a daughter, Barbara Jean.