Richard sears accomplishments

American businessman, founder of Sears

For other people with the same name, see Richard Sears (disambiguation).

Richard Warren Sears (December 7, – September 28, ) was an American businessman who co-founded the department store Sears, Roebuck and Company with his partner Alvah Curtis Roebuck.

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Alvah c roebuck

Early life

Sears was born in Stewartville, Minnesota. His father was James Warren Sears, born circa in New York, a blacksmith and wagon-maker; his mother was Eliza Burton, born in Ohio circa The family was living in Spring Valley, Minnesota, by June , where his father served as a city councilman and eventually sold his wagon shop in Both of his parents were of English descent.^[1] During his boyhood in Spring Valley, he befriended Almanzo Wilder, the future husband of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

In , he started working as a telegraph operator in the town of North Branch, Minnesota, for the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway, and was later transferred to North Redwood Falls, Minnesota, to be station agent there.^[2]

Businessman

In , when Sears was 23, his station received a shipment of gold watches from a Chicago manufacturer, but the local consignee, jeweller Edward Stegerson, refused the unsolicited shipment.

A common scam existing at the time involved wholesalers who would ship their products to retailers who had not ordered them. Upon refusal, the wholesaler would offer the already price-hiked items to the retailer at a lower consignment cost in the guise of alleviating the cost to ship the items back.

Richard warren sears net worth Biography. Co-Founder of Sears Roebuck & Co. with Alvah Roebuck. "Richard Warren Sears was born December 7, , in Stewartville, Minnesota, to James Sears and Eliza Sears. His father was a blacksmith and wagon-maker by trade, and in Richard Sears' early years the family resided in Spring Valley and Mankato, Minnesota.

The unsuspecting retailer would then agree to take this new-found bargain off the wholesaler's hands, mark up the items and sell them to the public, making a small profit in the transaction.

But Stegerson, a retailer savvy to the scam, flatly refused the watches. Young Sears jumped at the opportunity, and made an agreement with the wholesaler to keep any profit he reaped above $12, and then he set about offering his wares to other station agents along the railroad line for $ The watches were considered an item of urban sophistication.

Also because of the growth of railways, and the recent application of time zones, farmers and railroads needed to keep time accurately which had not been necessary until then. For those two reasons the station agents had no trouble selling the watches to passers-by.

Within six months, Sears had netted $5, and felt so confident in this venture that he moved to Minneapolis and founded the R.

Richard warren sears biography Richard Warren Sears (December 7, – September 28, ) was an American businessman who co-founded the department store Sears, Roebuck and Company with his partner Alvah Curtis Roebuck. Early life.

W. Sears Watch Company. He began placing advertisements in farm publications and mailing flyers to potential clients. From the beginning, it was clear that Sears had a talent for writing promotional copy. He took the personal approach in his ads, speaking directly to rural and small-town communities, persuading them to purchase by mail-order.

Chicago

In , Sears moved his company to Chicago, an important transportation center for the Midwestern United States, and moved his residence to nearby Oak Park, Illinois. In he also hired watch repairman Alvah Curtis Roebuck to repair any watches being returned. Roebuck was Sears's first employee, and he later became co-founder of Sears, Roebuck & Company, which was formed in when Sears was 28 years old.

James warren sears Richard W. Sears (born December 7, , Stewartville, Minnesota, U.S.—died September 28, , Waukesha, Wisconsin) was an American merchant who developed his mail-order jewelry business into the huge retail company Sears, Roebuck. Sears’s father had been wealthy but lost his fortune in speculation.

In the company was short of cash and Roebuck had left the business. Sears sold one half of the company for $75, to Aaron Nusbaum and his brother-in-law, Julius Rosenwald. The company was incorporated in Illinois as Sears Roebuck & Co. of Illinois on September 7, Richard Sears retired in at age 44 and Julius Rosenwald became the President.^[3]

The first Sears catalog was published in and offered only watches.

By , items such as men's and ladies clothing, plows, silverware, bicycles and athletic equipment had been added to the offering.

The page catalog was sent to some , homes. Sears catered to the rural customer because, having been raised on a farm, he knew what the rural customer needed. He also had experience working with the railroad and he knew how to ship merchandise to remote areas.

Richard sears philanthropy

Richard sears family

Richard w. sears company

Richard sears net worth

In Sears made another move forward and began to sell mail order homes through the catalogs.

Death

In Sears retired and moved from Oak Park to Lake Bluff, Illinois, suffering from failing health due to alcoholism. Six years later, he died in Waukesha, Wisconsin, of Bright's disease.^[4]

Legacy

Sears's birthplace in Stewartville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sears was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in

References

External links