WANAMAKER, JOHN (1838 )

This article appears in Volume V28, Page 303 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: VIR-WAT

WANAMAKER, JOHN (1838 ) , American merchant, was born, of Palatine-Huguenot stock, in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA
PENNSYLVANIA, UNIVERSITY OF

, on the 11th of July 1838. He attended a public school in that city until he was fourteen, then became an errand boy for a book

store

STORE (from O. Fr. estor or estoire,
Late
- LATE
Lat. staurum or instaurum, stock, provisions,
supply
- SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)
, from the
late
- LATE
use of instaurare, to provide, properly to construct, renew, restore)

, and was a retail clothing salesman from 1856 until 1861, when he established with Nathan Brown (who afterward became his brother-in-law) the clothing

house

of Wanamaker & Brown, in Philadelphia, the partnership continuing until the death of Brown in 1868. In 1869 Wanamaker founded the

house

of John Wanamaker & Company; and in 1875 bought the

Pennsylvania

PENNSYLVANIA
PENNSYLVANIA, UNIVERSITY OF

Railroad Company's freight depot at Thirteenth and Market streets, and in the following year opened it as a dry goods and clothing

store

STORE (from O. Fr. estor or estoire, Late Lat. staurum or instaurum, stock, provisions,
supply
- SUPPLY (through Fr. from Lat. supplere, to fill up)
, from the late use of instaurare, to provide, properly to construct, renew, restore)

, subsequently much enlarged. In September 1896 he acquired from Hilton, Hughes & Company the former New

York

YORK
YORK (HOUSE OF)
YORK, EDMUND OF
LANGLEY
- LANGLEY, SAMUEL PIERPONT (1834-1906)
, DUKE OF (1341-1402)
YORK, EDWARD
YORK, FREDERICK
AUGUSTUS
- AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)
, DUKE OF (1763-1827)
YORK, RICHARD, DUKE

store of A. T. Stewart, and thereafter greatly enlarged it and added a new building; this, and the Philadelphia store, are among the largest department stores in the United States. Mr Wanamaker was postmaster-general in President Benjamin Harrison's cabinet in 18891893, and brought about the

establishment

ESTABLISHMENT (0. Fr. establissement, Fr. etablissement, late Norm. Fr. establishement, from O. Fr. establir, Fr. etablir, Lat. stabilire, to make stable)

of post-offices on ocean-going vessels. He early identified himself with religious work in Philadelphia; was the first paid secretary, in 18571861, of that city's Young Men's Christian Association, of which he was president in 187o1883, and in 1858 founded, and thereafter served as superintendent of, the Bethany (Presbyterian) Sunday School, one of the largest in the world. He took an active part in the

movement

MOVEMENT

which resulted in the formation of the United States Christian Commission in 1861.

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