Joseph A. "Joe" Albertson (October 17 1906 - January 20 1993) was the founder of the Albertsons chain of grocery stores.

Born in Idaho, Albertson founded the Albertsons grocery store chain in 1939. The first store was located at 17th and State Streets in Boise, Idaho. The store was considered a modern marvel at the time -- Albertson himself saw to it that service was priority number one in all of his stores.

With his wife Katherine, Joe gave millions of dollars to schoolchildren throughout his life. After his death, the College of Idaho was renamed Albertson College of Idaho as he was its primary benefactor as an alumnus (Class of '29).

In 1999, Katherine was listed in the top 10 of all charitable donors in the country -- ahead of notable names like William H. Gates III. She died in 2002.

1906 births | 1993 deaths | Retailing magnates | People from Idaho