James Edgar (1843 – 1909) was a businessman who has been credited with being the one who first came up with the idea of dressing up as Santa Claus for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

. He started the tradition in 1890 in his

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Mas ...

, department store.

Biography

Edgar was born in

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of ...

, in 1843. In 1878, he arrived in Brockton, and he eventually set up a dry goods store on Main Street. In 1890, he got the idea to dress up as Santa Claus. Within days, children from as far as

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and Providence came by train to see Edgar. He initially hung around his department store, but over the years, he was known to walk around the streets of Brockton. In addition to dressing up as Santa, he also dressed up as a variety of other figures, including

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...

, a sportsman in a cricket uniform, a sea captain, a clown, and as an Indian "Big Chief".http://1stdepartmentstoresanta.com/james-edgar.pdf He was also known in town for his progressive ideas. He also instituted the Edgar Layaway Plan. In 1906, he built the James Edgar Building. Although he might be best remembered for dressing up as Santa, he was also known for the sharing of his good fortune. He also helped to pay for children's medical care and he also offered jobs to youths in need. In 1904, Edgar suffered a stroke which partially paralyzed him. He died in at his summer home in

Lakeville, Massachusetts Lakeville is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,523 at the 2020 census. History Native Americans inhabited southern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas ...

, in 1909.

Legacy

After his death, people still carried fond memories of Edgar. One man, who was in his 90s at the time, said in 1976:

You just can't imagine what it was like. I remember walking down an aisle and, all of a sudden, I saw Santa Claus. I couldn't believe my eyes, and then Santa came up and started talking to me. It was a dream come true.

Years after his death, a city park was named after him. In 2008, a plaque was placed at the corner of Main and Centre streets noting Edgar's achievements. John Merian, the president of the Downtown Brockton Association, believes that Brockton should be revived and styled as a

town, similar to

North Pole, Alaska North Pole is a small city in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Incorporated in 1953, it is part of the Fairbanks metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,243, up from 2,117 ...

, and other Christmas themed locations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edgar, James 1843 births 1909 deaths People from Brockton, Massachusetts Scottish emigrants to the United States Santa Claus 19th-century American businesspeople People from Lakeville, Massachusetts