Rowland Hussey Macy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Macy in 1858 | |
| Born | (1822-08-30)August 30, 1822 |
| Died | March 29, 1877(1877-03-29) (aged 54) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx |
| Known for | Macy's |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Margaret Getchell (third cousin 2x removed) |
Rowland Hussey Macy Sr. (August 30, 1822 – March 29, 1877) was an American businessman who founded the department store chainMacy's.
Macy was the fourth of six children born to aQuaker family onNantucket Island,Massachusetts. At the age of fifteen, he worked on thewhaleshipEmily Morgan and had a red star tattooed on either his hand or his forearm (various versions as to the exact location of the marking have been reported).[1][2] He married Louisa Houghton (1820–1888) in 1844, and had three children: Charles A. Macy (1845–1846); Rowland Hussey Macy Jr. (1847–1878); and Florence Macy (1853–1933), who married James F. Sutton.[3]
He and his brother, Charles, opened a dry goods store inMarysville, California, shortly after the city was founded at the height of theGold Rush in 1850. Charles stayed in Marysville after the store failed, but Rowland headed east. Between 1843 and 1855, Macy opened four retaildry goods stores, including the original Macy's store in downtownHaverhill, Massachusetts, established in 1851 to serve the mill industry employees of the area. They all failed, but he learned from his mistakes. Macy moved toNew York City in 1858 and established a new store named "R.H Macy Dry Goods" atSixth Avenue on the corner of14th Street, significantly north of other dry goods stores of the time.[4][5] On the company's first day of business on October 28, 1858, sales totaled $11.08, equal to $401.95 today.
As the business grew, Macy's expanded into neighboring buildings, opening up more and more departments, and used publicity devices such as a storeSanta Claus, themed exhibits, and illuminated window displays to draw in customers.[6] It offered a money back guarantee, although it only accepted cash into the 1950s. The store also produced its own made-to-measure clothing for both men and women, assembled in an on-site factory.[5] Thestore moved several times before arriving at its currentHerald Square location in 1902.
In 1875, Macy took on two partners, Robert M. Valentine (1850–1879), a nephew; and Abiel T. La Forge (1842–1878) ofWisconsin, who was the husband of cousinMargaret Getchell.[7][8]
Macy died on March 29, 1877, inParis ofBright's disease.[9] He was interred in theWoodlawn Cemetery inThe Bronx. His will was probated on May 1, 1877, and he left his wife, Louisa H. "absolutely, all the paraphernalia, wearing apparel, watches, rings, trinkets, jewels, and personal ornaments reputed to belong to her, and during her life, the use of all the household furniture, books, clocks, bronzes, and works of art." At her death this was to pass to his daughter, Florence. He left only a small annuity for his son.[3] The following year, in 1878, Macy's partner La Forge died, and the third partner, Valentine, died in 1879.[7][8] Ownership of the store passed to the Macy family until 1895, when it was sold toIsidor andNathan Straus.
Notes
The will of Rowland H. Macy, the well known Sixth-avenue merchant, has been filed in the Surrogate's Court. He leaves to his widow, Louisa H., "absolutely, all the paraphernalia, wearing apparel, watches, rings, trinkets, jewels, and personal ornaments reputed to belong to her, and during her life, the use of all the household furniture, books, clocks, bronzes, and works of art ...
For long after Captain Rowland H. Macy opened a fancy-goods shop in Sixth Avenue just below Fourteenth Street in 1858, seventy-five years ago, there was no department store in all the world. There were already merchant princes in New York, but they were specialists.
The will of Robert M. Valentine, late partner in the firm of R. H. Macy Co., was offered for probate yesterday in the Surrogate's office.
Further reading
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