David May (merchant)
| David May | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1848 Kaiserlautern, Germany |
| Died |
1927 (age 79) Charlevoix, Michigan |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | businessman |
| Known for | founder of May Company |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Spouse(s) | Rosa Shoenberg |
| Children |
Morton J. May Tom May Wilbur D. May Florene May |
| Family | Morton D. May (grandson) |
David May (1848-1927) was an American businessman and founder of the May Company department store.
Early life and education
David May was born to a Jewish family in Kaiserlautern, Bavaria, Germany.[1] In 1854, he immigrated with his family to the United States and settled in Cincinnati. As a young man he worked at a clothing factory, while attendeding night school at Nelson College.[2] After moving for health reasons to Leadville, Colorado, then undergoing a boom due to silver mining, he partnered with future brother-in-law Moses Shoenberg and opened a dry goods store in 1877. In 1887, he purchased another store in Denver, Colorado partnering with brothers-in-law Joseph and Louis Shoenberg[1] (the Shoenbergs would later change their name to Beaumont).[3] In 1888, he sold the Leadville store to Meyers Harris. In 1892, he expanded out of Colorado and purchased the "The Famous Clothing Store" in St. Louis, Missouri and in 1898, he purchased another store in Cleveland, Ohio which he renamed the "May Company." In 1905, he moved the business headquarters to St. Louis. In 1910, the business was incorporated as "The May Department Stores Company" and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1911. Also in 1911, he bought the William Bar Dry Goods Company in St. Louis and merged it with The Famous Clothing Store renaming the new entity, Famous-Barr. He continued to expand purchasing the M. O’Neil Department Store in Akron, Ohio in 1912 and A. Hamburger & Sons in Los Angeles in 1923.[1]
Legacy
May Company went on to become one of the largest department store chains in the United States through organic growth and acquisitions. Some of the chains acquired included: Bernheim-Leader in Baltimore, Maryland, Kaufmann's in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Daniels & Fisher Stores Company in Denver, Colorado; Hecht's in Baltimore, Maryland; G. Fox & Co. in Hartford, Connecticut; and Meier & Frank in Portland, Oregon.
Personal life
In 1880, May married Rosa Shoenberg (b. 1860), his partner’s sister, in Leadville, Colorado. They had four children: Morton J. May (b. 1881), Tom May (b. 1883), Wilbur May (1898-1982), and Florene May (1903-1995). His daughter Florene married American architect Samuel Abraham Marx. His grandson Morton D. May succeeded his father in running the business serving as CEO from 1957 and chairman of the board from 1967-1972.[1]
In 1877, he helped to found the Hebrew Benevolent Association in Leadville and was a founding member of Temple Israel, Leadville’s first congregation. In Denver, he was a member of Temple Emanuel.[1][4]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Jewish Museum of the American West: "David May, Pioneer Jewish Merchant, Founder of May Company & His Family" retrieved March 14, 2015
- ↑ Abrams, Jeanne. "David May." In Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present, vol. 3, edited by Giles R. Hoyt. German Historical Institute. Last modified May 31, 2016.
- ↑ Leadville Colorado History: "Commodore Louis D. Shoenberg (Beaumont)" retrieved March 14, 2015
- ↑ Temple Israel Leadville: "David May" retrieved March 14, 2015