Jane Dobbins Green: Ray Kroc’s Second Wife and Her Hollywood Connection

Jane Dobbins Green was Ray Kroc’s second wife and a former secretary to actor John Wayne. Born Jane Elizabeth Dobbins in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1911, she met Kroc in California in 1963 and married him on February 23 after a courtship of about two weeks. Their marriage lasted until 1968, covering a major growth period in McDonald’s history.

Her story connects Hollywood, Ray Kroc’s personal life, and the years when McDonald’s was becoming a national business. She entered his life after his first marriage ended and before Joan Kroc became his third wife. That place in the timeline explains why her name still appears in biographies of one of America’s best-known restaurant entrepreneurs.

A Life in California Before Ray Kroc

Jane Elizabeth Dobbins was born in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1911. The Society for American Baseball Research identifies her parents as David and Grace Duncan Dobbins.

By the time she met Kroc, she was living in California and working as John Wayne’s secretary. Wayne was already one of Hollywood’s most famous actors, known for a long career in Westerns and war films.

Her job placed her close to the business side of a major entertainment career, but she was not a public figure in her own right. There is no need to turn that work into something it was not. The verified description is simple: she worked as Wayne’s secretary before her marriage to Kroc.

That background gives her biography a clear identity outside the McDonald’s story. She had already built an adult life and career in California before the relationship began.

Ray Kroc Was Already Deep in the McDonald’s Business

When they met in 1963, Kroc was no longer simply a salesman trying to build a new opportunity. He had already spent years developing the McDonald’s franchise system.

McDonald’s official history says he first visited the McDonald brothers’ restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1954. He was impressed by the speed and simplicity of the operation and became their franchising agent.

In April 1955, he opened a McDonald’s restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois. That restaurant became an important starting point for the company he would eventually control.

By 1961, Kroc had bought the rights to the McDonald brothers’ business for $2.7 million, according to McDonald’s corporate history. The deal gave him control of the name and operating system that would become the foundation of the modern company.

His personal life had changed at the same time. His first marriage to Ethel Fleming ended in divorce in 1961.

The 1963 Courtship Moved Very Fast

Kroc met Jane in California in 1963. SABR reports that they married about two weeks later.

The wedding took place on February 23, 1963. At the time, Kroc was 60 and already running a fast-growing restaurant business.

The short courtship is one of the most distinctive facts in their story. They did not spend years dating before marriage. The relationship moved from first meeting to wedding in a matter of weeks.

That speed also makes the timing important. She entered his life at a moment when both his personal world and his business career were changing quickly.

The Marriage Overlapped With McDonald’s Rapid Expansion

From 1963 to 1968, McDonald’s grew into a much larger national company.

Hamburger University had opened in 1961 as a training center for operators. By 1965, McDonald’s had become a public company. In 1966, SABR reports that the business was grossing about $200 million a year.

The chain was also becoming more recognizable across the country. Standardized training, a larger franchise network, and a more organized corporate structure helped the brand spread quickly.

International expansion followed. McDonald’s official history says the company entered Canada and Puerto Rico in 1967.

She was Kroc’s wife through this entire period. Her role was personal rather than corporate. The available historical record does not place her in management, franchise operations, or company decision-making.

That distinction matters. Her connection to McDonald’s came through marriage, not through an executive position.

The J and R Double Arch Ranch Marked Their Years Together

One of the clearest details connecting the marriage to Kroc’s private life was the J and R Double Arch Ranch.

SABR reports that he bought a 210-acre ranch for $600,000 and named it for Jane and Ray. The initials “J and R” made the property a direct reflection of their relationship.

The ranch came during a period when Kroc’s wealth and public profile were rising quickly. His life was no longer centered only on restaurants and franchise agreements. Land, philanthropy, and other projects were becoming part of the picture.

He also created the Ray A. Kroc Foundation during those years. SABR notes that the foundation supported research involving diabetes, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis.

These details help show the scale of his life while they were married. The business was expanding, his personal wealth was growing, and the couple’s private life reflected that success.

Jane and Joan Kroc Belonged to Different Chapters

Ray Kroc’s marriage history can be confusing because Joan Smith entered his life before and after his marriage to Jane.

Kroc first met Joan Smith in 1957. She was a pianist and was married to Rollie Smith. Kroc was also married at the time.

By 1961, both had considered leaving their spouses and marrying each other. Joan eventually returned to her husband, while Kroc still completed his divorce from Ethel.

Two years later, he met Jane in California and married her.

This is the key distinction: Jane Dobbins Green was his second wife. Joan Smith later became his third wife and was known as Joan Kroc.

The two women were not the same person, and their relationships with Kroc belonged to different stages of his life.

The Marriage Lasted Five Years

Jane and Ray remained married from 1963 until 1968.

Those five years covered a major shift in McDonald’s history. The company moved from rapid domestic growth into public ownership and early international expansion.

The Big Mac also joined the national menu in 1968, according to McDonald’s official timeline. By then, the business had reached a very different scale from the company Kroc had been building when the marriage began.

From a personal point of view, the marriage lasted through one of the most demanding periods of his career. His schedule, wealth, and public profile all grew as the company expanded.

The Marriage Ended After Joan Re-entered His Life

SABR places the end of the marriage in 1968, when Joan Smith and her husband attended a McDonald’s meeting.

Kroc invited them to his suite, and he and Joan renewed their relationship. At the same time, he and Jane had been planning a cruise for their fifth wedding anniversary.

The SABR account says Kroc decided he wanted a divorce and had his lawyers tell his wife that the marriage was ending and the trip was canceled.

Ray and Joan then ended their existing marriages. They married each other on March 8, 1969.

That sequence explains exactly where Jane fits in his personal history. Her marriage came between Ethel Fleming and Joan Smith.

Her Hollywood Connection Gives the Story a Different Angle

Most people discover Jane through Ray Kroc, but her work with John Wayne gives the story a second major American name.

Wayne represented Hollywood. Kroc represented the rise of modern franchising and fast food. Her life touched both worlds without making her a celebrity in either one.

That makes her background unusual. She worked behind the scenes for one famous man and later married another whose business would become one of the world’s most recognizable brands.

The connection also helps explain why a short biography focused only on “Ray Kroc’s second wife” misses part of the picture. Her life before the marriage is small in the public record, but the part that is verified is still meaningful.

Her Place in Ray Kroc’s Personal Timeline

The clearest way to understand her story is to place it in sequence.

Kroc’s first marriage to Ethel Fleming ended in 1961. He met Jane in 1963 and married her on February 23 of that year. Their marriage lasted until 1968. He then married Joan Smith in March 1969.

During those five years, McDonald’s went public, expanded into international markets, and moved closer to the global business it would later become.

She did not lead that growth, but she was part of Kroc’s private life while it happened.

A Clear View of Jane Dobbins Green

Jane Dobbins Green was born Jane Elizabeth Dobbins in Walla Walla, Washington, in 1911. She later worked in California as John Wayne’s secretary.

She met Ray Kroc in 1963 and married him about two weeks later. Their marriage lasted five years, from February 1963 until 1968.

Her years with Kroc overlapped with a major stage in McDonald’s growth, including its move into public ownership and its first international expansion.

Her role was personal rather than corporate. The most reliable historical sources describe her as Kroc’s second wife and Wayne’s former secretary, not as a McDonald’s executive or Hollywood performer.

For another carefully sourced profile of a private woman connected to a famous public figure, read our Catherine Hawn profile on LakewoodScoop.co.uk.