Jesse Shwayder
Jesse Shwayder (March 26, 1882 – July 25, 1970) was an American businessman. He was the founder, president and chairman of the Samsonite Corporation, "the world's largest luggage manufacturer" by the time of his death.
Jesse Shwayder | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 26, 1882 Black Hawk, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | July 25, 1970 (aged 88) Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Early life
Shwayder was born on March 16, 1882, in Black Hawk, Colorado.[1][2] He was of Polish-Jewish descent.[3] His father, Isaac, owned a grocery store followed by a furniture store in Denver, where Shwayder worked as a teenager.[1][3]
Career
Shwayder began his career as a salesman for the Seward Trunk Co. in New York City.[3]
Shwayer founded the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company in Denver in 1910.[2] He served as its president from 1910 to 1960,[3] and later served as its chairman.[1] The company introduced a new suitcase called Samsonite in 1939, and it changed its name to the Samsonite Corporation in 1965.[4]
Shwayder was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame posthumously, in 1991.[4]
Personal life and death
Shwayder married Nellie Weitz. They had a son and four daughters.[1]
Shwayder died on July 25, 1970, in Denver, at age 88.[1][2] By the time of his death, Samsonite had become "the world's largest luggage manufacturer."[5]
References
- "Jesse Shwayder of Samsonite Dies". The New York Times. July 25, 1970. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- "Jesse Schwayder, Industrialist, Dies At 88". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. Colorado Springs, Colorado. July 24, 1970. p. 4. Retrieved July 31, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Shwayder Family: From Back-Pack Peddling to Samsonite Luggage, Denver Colorado". Jewish Museum of the American West. April 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- "Jesse Shwayder". Colorado Business Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
- "Obituary: Jesse Shwayder". The New York Daily News. July 25, 1970. p. 28. Retrieved July 31, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.