Hugo Magnuson
Encyclopedia
Hugo R. Magnuson was the founder of the regional Hugo's
grocery store chain and a former mayor of the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota
. He served as mayor from 1964 to 1972. He also served as a city council member for seventeen years.
Hugo Ragnar Magnuson was born in Otter Tail County, Minnesota
. He is best known for the chain of grocery stores which bear his name and dot eastern North Dakota
and northwestern Minnesota
. He opened his first grocery outlet in Grand Forks in 1939 as a Pure Foods Store. For many years, Magnuson’s stores carried the name Piggly Wiggly
. That name was dropped in 1984 with the arrival of a new wholesaler, Nash Finch Company
.
The city of Grand Forks declared May 2000 as "Hugo Magnuson Month" in honor of his 100th birthday. Magnuson died three days before his 103rd birthday in 2003.
Hugo's
Hugo's is the name of a family-owned chain of supermarket grocery stores located in the U.S. states of North Dakota and Minnesota. Hugo's is headquartered in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota...
grocery store chain and a former mayor of the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
. He served as mayor from 1964 to 1972. He also served as a city council member for seventeen years.
Hugo Ragnar Magnuson was born in Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 57,303. Its county seat is Fergus Falls.-History:...
. He is best known for the chain of grocery stores which bear his name and dot eastern North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and northwestern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He opened his first grocery outlet in Grand Forks in 1939 as a Pure Foods Store. For many years, Magnuson’s stores carried the name Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly is a supermarket chain operating in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. The current company headquarters is in Keene, New Hampshire....
. That name was dropped in 1984 with the arrival of a new wholesaler, Nash Finch Company
Nash Finch Company
The Nash Finch Company is a Fortune 500 company based in Edina, Minnesota, United States. The company is involved in food distribution to private companies, primarily independent supermarkets, and military commissaries; and the operation of retail stores....
.
The city of Grand Forks declared May 2000 as "Hugo Magnuson Month" in honor of his 100th birthday. Magnuson died three days before his 103rd birthday in 2003.