Obituaries : Ralph Lazarus; Retired Chief of Store Chain

Ralph Lazarus, retired chairman and chief executive officer of Federated Department Stores Inc., died in Cincinnati on Sunday after what was described as a long illness. He was 74.

He was the grandson of Fred Lazarus, who founded the F&R; Lazarus Co. chain in Columbus, Ohio, and son of Fred Lazarus Jr., who founded Federated in1929 and watched it grow into a nationwide chain of department stores. (Ralph Lazarus’ great-grandfather, Simon, a Prussian immigrant, had begun the family business in 1851 with a small clothing store.)

Federated, which today includes Abraham & Straus, Bloomingdale’s, Burdines, Lazarus, Rich’s and Ralphs Grocery, was purchased earlier this year by the Campeau Corp.

Ralph Lazarus was chairman and chief executive officer of Federated from 1972 until 1982. Before that, he was the company’s president for 15 years.

“I think that he was that rare combination of giant in the retail industry and an individual who was equally committed to excellence as a corporate citizen, and he certainly set standards throughout Federated in both,” said Jerry Gafford, vice president of corporate affairs for Federated.

Lazarus, a Dartmouth College graduate, was a school trustee for many years. He also was a member of the boards of General Electric Co. and Gillette Co., served on the Peace Corps national advisory committee and was a member of the nation’s prestigious Business Council.

In 1967, he issued a controversial statement through the council warning that escalating the Vietnam War would cost $5 billion more than President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Administration had estimated.