Dayton ran Target's operations during its early years and served as the company's first president.
[1] He served as a sergeant in an Army infantry division during World War II, earning a Purple Heart after being injured fighting in Europe.
[2] In 1960, Dayton and John F. Geisse teamed up to launch Target, which aimed to be an upscale discount store, in 1962.
"[1] The store was an instant success, leading Dayton to boast the chain would hit $100 million in annual sales.
Dayton did not doubt his vision, remarking "I am thoroughly convinced that we are selling a superior product that will bear the test of time.
He spent the next two years leading a team of volunteer executives that helped find ways for the state government to run more efficiently.
[4] By 1975, Target was the company's top revenue producer and by the end of the 1970s annual sales exceeded $1 billion.
[2] Dayton served as chairman of the board for the area YMCA for more than 50 years and worked with the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center on prairie restoration.
He married Shirley Deyo Whiteman (1931-1997), a divorced woman who had three daughters by her previous marriage and descendant of Louis DuBois (Huguenot), on December 17, 1977.
[1] He is survived by his wife, Wendy; sons, David, Steve, and Bruce; stepdaughter, Elizabeth; and six grandchildren.
"[3] Mark Dayton said modesty prevented Douglas from claiming "the public recognition he deserved," but said his contributions had made "an enormous difference" to thousands of employees and customers of Target.