Graff, Hans

Hans Graff, born in Denmark in 1863, immigrated to the United States as a young man and settled in Fresno, California, around 1885. After working in the grocery department of Louis Einstein & Company, he co-founded a modest retail store at Inyo and H Streets. Through his sharp business acumen, the venture rapidly expanded into H. Graff & Company, eventually becoming the largest grocery, hardware, and crockery dealership in Central California, headquartered in a massive concrete building at Kern and Van Ness Streets.

A forward-thinking executive, Graff pioneered an innovative cooperative system that allowed his clerks to earn ownership shares in the company. His leadership extended deep into the region’s agricultural sector, where he served as treasurer and director of the California Associated Raisin Company and spent over twenty years managing the highly successful Danish Creamery Association. Following his tragic death in September 1918 from injuries sustained in a mountain automobile accident, he left behind his wife, Margaret Petersen, and three children, alongside a distinguished legacy of civic leadership, public service, and high-ranking Masonic achievement.