Sam M. Walton*

Sam Walton was born in 1918 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma and lived on a farm until his family moved to Missouri, where he became the youngest Eagle Scout in the state's history. While attending the University of Missouri in Columbia, he worked odd jobs and waited tables in exchange for meals. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1940.

Three days after graduation, Walton became a management trainee with J. C. Penney in Des Moines. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps, and supervised security at aircraft plants and prisoner of war camps. He eventually reached the rank of captain.

After leaving the Army in 1945, bought a Ben Franklin variety store in Newport, Arkansas. Walton pioneered the practice of discounting his merchandise by buying wholesale goods from the lowest priced supplier. In 1951, he opened Walton's Five and Dime in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 1962, he opened his first Walmart in Rogers, Arkansas. Walmart eventually became the world's largest company by revenue.

In 1998, Time magazine included Walton on its list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.