Meyer Memorial Trust
| Fred G. Meyer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Frederick Grubmeyer February 21, 1886 Germany |
| Died | September 2, 1978 (aged 92) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Resting place | Ashes scattered from a bridge over the Salmon River near Wemme |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Fifth grade, primary school |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Eva Chatfield Meyer (Eva Chiles) |
| Children | Earle A. Chiles (stepson) |
| Parent(s) | Conrad and Sophie Dorothea Vorverk Grubmeyer |
| Relatives | William and Henry (who also moved to Portland) and five other siblings |
Fred G. Meyer (February 21, 1886 – September 2, 1978) was an American businessman who founded the Oregon-based Fred Meyer store chain, which had 63 stores in four western states at the time of his death. He was known for successfully introducing several innovative marketing concepts.
Born Fritz Grubmeyer in Germany in 1886, Meyer came to the United States with his parents and older brother, William, at a very early age. The family settled in Brooklyn, where Meyer later worked in his father's grocery store.
Leaving home at the age of 19, he traveled through the American West, prospecting for gold near Nome, Alaska. Relocating to Seattle in 1906, Meyer worked for a small grocery and the Grand Union Tea Company until 1909, when he moved to Portland, Oregon.
In 1910, Meyer's brother William and his family moved to Portland. William and Fred managed the Mission Tea Company, which rented a stall at the City Public Market. Thereafter, Fred established a separate business using horse-drawn wagons to deliver coffee, tea, and spices to Portland residents and groceries to nearby logging camps and farms. By 1911, Meyer was managing Mission Tea, and after a dispute with William, he acquired a new partner and renamed the business the Java Coffee Company. Sometime after arriving in Portland, Frederick Grubmeyer shortened his name to Fred G. Meyer; a 2001 Oregonian article said the change was made "for convenience and maybe to save money on signs".
In 1922, he joined forces with his brother Henry, who had also moved to Portland. Together over the next few years they incorporated four businesses, including Mybros Meat Market, Oregon Piggly Wiggly, Pioneer Market Company (which leased space to vendors), and Mybros Inc., all in downtown Portland. Differences of opinion between the brothers led to Henry's departure from the partnership, and over time, Meyer expanded Mybros into the Fred Meyer chain of supermarkets and department stores. A "self-service drugstore" that Meyer opened in 1928 in downtown Portland was considered the first of its kind in the nation.
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