Andrew Saks
BornJune 5, 1847
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
DiedApril 8, 1912(1912-04-08) (aged 64)
New York City, New York, U.S.
OccupationRetail businessman
TitleFounder of department store Saks Fifth Avenue
SpouseJennie Rohr
Children3

Andrew Saks (June 5, 1847 – April 8, 1912)[1] was an American businessman known as the founder of department store Saks Fifth Avenue.

Biography

Saks was born to a German Jewish family, in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Helena and William Saks (born 1810 or -11, Kingdom of Bavaria).[2] He worked as a peddler and paper boy before moving to Washington, D.C., where he established a men's clothing store[3] with his brother Isadore[4] in 1867. In 1902, they opened a store in New York on 34th Street as Saks & Company. Saks ran the New York store as a family affair with his brother Isadore, and his sons Horace and William.

Personal life

Saks married Jennie Rohr with whom he had three children: sons, Horace Andrew Saks and William Andrew Saks; and daughter Leila Saks.[5] He died on April 9, 1912.[6][7] His daughter, Leila Saks Meyer (1886–1957), returning to attend her father's funeral, survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912 (five days after his death); her husband, Edgar J. Meyer, son of financier Marc Eugene Meyer and brother of publisher Eugene Meyer, perished.[6]

In 1923, his son Horace sold a majority interest in Saks & Company[3] to Gimbel Brothers, Inc. for $8 million which included Saks & Company's $4.5 million flagship store that was under construction; Horace Saks remained as president.[8] In 1924, Horace Saks and his cousin, Bernard Gimbel, opened Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Andrew Sam's – Dead at 65: President and One of the 'Founders of Dry Goods House of Sake & Co.'". The New York Times. April 9, 1912. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  2. ↑ "US Census 1870 District of Columbia". US Census Bureau via FamilyTree. p. 174. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Gardner, Mark L. "What's in a Name?—A Brief History of Saks Fifth Avenue". Archived from the original on February 12, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Mauranna G. Lynn Is Engaged To Christopher Andrew Saks". The New York Times. February 15, 1976.
  5. ↑ "Jennie R. Saks". geni_family_tree.
  6. 1 2 Zottolir, Maureen (2016). The R.M.S. Titanic and Washington, D. C.: One Hundred Years: 1912 to 2012 – People, Government Process and Precedent, Investigations, and Locations. p. 103. ISBN 9781468543711.
  7. ↑ "John Andrew Saks '36 - Volume 84". Princeton Alumni Weekly. September 7, 1983.
  8. ↑ Harris, Leon (n.d.). Merchant Prince: An Intimate History of Jewish Families Who Built Great Department Stores. p. 79.
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