Ralf Marc (R.M.) Walker (May 20, 1872 Bellevue Township, Eaton County, Michigan — August 28, 1935, New York City, buried

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

) was an American department store executive. In his native Bellevue, Michigan, Walker worked in a grocery store for a certain Mr. C. D. Kimberley. He would later spend time in Wisconsin and Detroit before heading to Los Angeles where

Arthur Letts Arthur Letts Sr. (June 17, 1862 – May 18, 1923) was an immigrant from England who made his fortune in Los Angeles, California, in the early years of the 20th century. He built his wealth by transforming a small, bankrupt dry goods store in Down ...

trained him at Letts' Broadway department store, Walker was the co-founder/co-worker owner of the 125,000-square-foot department store known as the

Fifth Street Store The Fifth Street Store was a major department store in Los Angeles opened in 1905. Name The official name of the company and store changed many times: *1905–1909: Steele, Faris, & Walker Co. - the official company name and name under which the ...

at Fifth and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in downtown Los Angeles, established in 1905. Walker also owned what would later become known as the

Houdini Mansion The Mansion is a four-bedroom mansion owned by music producer Rick Rubin located in the Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. Originally built in 1918, the house is famous for the successf ...

Laurel Canyon Laurel Canyon is a mountainous neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills region of the Santa Monica Mountains, within the Hollywood Hills West district of Los Angeles, California. The main thoroughfare of Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects the neig ...

. He died six months before the opening in San Diego of the first

Walker Scott Walker Scott, also Walker-Scott or Walker's, was a chain of department stores in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1. ...

store – which would go on to become a regional chain – on October 3, 1935.

References

1872 births 1935 deaths American retail chief executives Businesspeople from San Diego {{US-business-bio-1870s-stub