Alexander Reeka

Alexander John Reeka (July 1, 1823 – October 3, 1915), sometimes known as Alexander J Reeka  was an Amerian business magnate  who founded the food company Reeka Stores Ltd , which later merged into Reeka Inc.

Family
Alexander Reeka was born in 1823 in El Paso, Texas. He learned how to deal with accounts from his mother Eden, who hoped to entertain him as he had a mild case of measles.He began to work in accounting at the age of 19.

Reeka and Theresa Belks (September 29, 1824 – April 11, 1916), a biochemist, were married in 1848. Their daughter  Hayley Reeka was born in 1845, in Dallas, Texas and their son, Johnathon Reeka , was born in 1904 in Austin, Texas. They remained married until Reeka's death in 1915.



Reeka Stores, Ltd
After fighting in the American Civil War, Alexander Reeka decided that he had no respectable title to his name, and that if he were to die, he would not be remembered. Therefore, he set up "Reeka Stores Ltd". A small convenience store that he said would "Almost put the customer first, no matter what the cost" In 1875, Reeka began giving his son, Johnathon small responsibilities instore, which lead to his son taking control after his father's death. Johnathon also gave his father the idea of expanding the stores across several states, which proved to be successful. When Alexander died in 1915, Johnathon assumed control of the company.

The American Civil War
In 1862, The American Civil War broke out and Reeka was forced to join the army through the conscription laws that were active at the time. His wife, Theresa took over the convenience store whilst he was away. He served for the Confederacy and fought in many battles such as the Battle of Sharpsburg. After this battle, he was declared missing and Theresa was notified. Over several weeks, Reeka made his way back to Texas and to a general hospital where he had all of his wounds healed then made his way back to his wife, Theresa after the war had finished.