John Simmons (October 30, 1796 – August 29, 1870) was a pioneer in

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

manufacturing and the founder of

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts * Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky * Har ...

, a

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

women's college (and co-ed graduate school) in Boston, Massachusetts. He was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island and grew up on a family farm. Simmons was a direct descendant of early Plymouth colonist,

Moses Simonson Moses Simonson (c. 1605 c. 1690), also known as Moyses Simonson or Symonson or Moses Simmons, was one of the earliest settlers of New England as one of the passengers of 1621 Fortune voyage and would have been present at the time of the Pilgrims F ...

. As a teenager, John Simmons traveled to Boston to join his elder brother, who had become a

tailor A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

. Working as a tailor, John Simmons noticed that many customers required clothing in similar sizes, and he struck upon the idea of making up clothes in common sizes in advance. He was thus an innovator in making ready-to-wear clothing in standard sizes. By the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he had become the country’s largest clothing manufacturer. With the profits from his clothing business, he became a

real estate investor Real estate investing involves the purchase, management and sale or rental of real estate for profit. Someone who actively or passively invests in real estate is called a real estate entrepreneur or a real estate investor. Some investors actively ...

and eventually owned much of the Financial District in Boston. When Simmons died in 1870, his will provided for his estate to "found and endow an institution to be called Simmons Female College, for the purpose of teaching medicine, music, drawing, designing, telegraphy, and other branches of art, science, and industry best calculated to enable the scholars to acquire an independent livelihood." The founding of this institution was delayed by the

Great Boston Fire of 1872 The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 1872, in the basement of a com ...

, which destroyed most of his properties. The rebuilding took many years, and it was only in 1899 that the institution was finally established. Today it is known as Simmons University. John Simmons is buried on the Simmons University academic campus.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, John 1796 births 1870 deaths People from Little Compton, Rhode Island Simmons University