Levi Strauss | |
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| Born | Löb Strauß (1829-02-26)February 26, 1829 Buttenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Confederation |
| Died | September 26, 1902(1902-09-26) (aged 73) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Citizenship | German Confederation (1829–1853) United States (1853–1902) |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founding the first company to manufacture riveted blue jeans Founder of theLevi Strauss & Co. |
Levi Strauss (/ˈliːvaɪˈstraʊs/LEE-vySTROWSS; bornLöb Strauß,German:[løːpˈʃtʁaʊs]; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufactureblue jeans. His firm ofLevi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 inSan Francisco, California.[1][2]
Levi Strauss was born to a Jewish family inButtenheim on February 26, 1829, in theFranconia region of theKingdom of Bavaria in theGerman Confederation.[3][4] He was the son of Hirsch Strauss and Hirsch’s second wife, Rebecca Strauss (née Haas).[5][6]
In 1847, aged 18, Strauss travelled with his mother and two sisters to theUnited States to join his brothers Jonas and Louis, who had begun a wholesaledry goods business inNew York City called J. Strauss Brother & Co., at 108 Liberty Street in Manhattan.[7][8][9] After arriving in New York, Strauss worked as an itinerant peddler of goods from his brother's store: kettles, blankets and sewing goods.[8][9]
Levi's sister Fanny and her husbandDavid Stern moved toSt. Louis, Missouri, while Levi went to live inLouisville, Kentucky, and sold his brothers' supplies there.[10] Levi became anAmerican citizen in January 1853.[11]
The family decided to open a West Coast branch of their dry goods business inSan Francisco, which was the commercial hub of theCalifornia gold rush.[12] Levi was chosen to represent them, and he took steamships for San Francisco via Panama,[13] where he arrived in early March 1854 and joined his sister's family.[14]
Strauss opened his wholesale business asLevi Strauss & Co. and imported fine dry goods from his brothers in New York, including clothing, bedding, combs, purses, and handkerchiefs.[15] He made tents and later jeans while he lived with Fanny's growing family.[16] TailorJacob W. Davis ofReno, Nevada, was one of his customers; in 1871, having invented a way to strengthen work pants using rivets, he went into business with Strauss to mass-produce them.[17] The next year, Davis asked Strauss to help him apply for a patent, and the patent (one-half assigned to Levi Strauss & Co.) was issued in 1873.[18]
Levi Strauss was never married, and died on September 26, 1902 in San Francisco.[19] His estate was worth about $30 million (equivalent to $877 million in 2024).[1] Levi's nephew Sigmund Stern's only child, Elise Fanny Stern,[20] marriedWalter A. Haas, the son ofAbraham Haas, whose descendants are the current owners of Levi Strauss & Co.[21]
In 1960, the anthology series television seriesDeath Valley Days broadcast "The Million Dollar Pants", in which Strauss travels to San Francisco and establishes his business. The episode featured a likely fictional romantic interest, Yvonne Benet. In addition, the episode portrayed a likely fictional character, Patrick Mahoney, that was substituted forJacob W. Davis.
Levi Strauss, a member of theReform branch of Judaism, helped establishCongregation Emanu-El, the first Jewishsynagogue in the city of San Francisco.[22] He also gave money to several charities, including special funds for orphans. The Levi Strauss Foundation started with an 1897 donation to theUniversity of California, Berkeley, that provided the funds for 28 scholarships.[23][24]
The Levi Strauss museum inButtenheim, Germany is located in the 1687 house where Strauss was born.[25] There is also a visitors center at Levi Strauss & Co. headquarters in San Francisco, which features historical exhibits.
In 1994, he was inducted into theHall of Great Westerners of theNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.[26]
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