Richard Hall Stearns (25 December 1824 – August, 1909) was a wealthy tradesman, philanthropist, and politician from

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

whose eponymous department store became one of the largest department store chains in

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 the surrounding area. The headquarters and main store was in the R. H. Stearns Building on

Tremont Street Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts. Tremont Street begins at Government Center in Boston's city center as a continuation of Cambridge Street, and forms the eastern edge of Boston Common. Continuing in a roughly so ...

near Park Street in Boston.

Early life

Stearns was born in Ashburnham, Massachusetts on December 25, 1824. Soon after his birth his family moved to New Ipswich, New Hampshire. At the age of seven, he was left an orphan and taken in and raised by his uncle on a farm in

Lincoln, Massachusetts Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States Census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base that live within town limits. The town, located in the MetroWest region o ...

; from that age he earned his room and board with farmwork. He was educated in district schools and attended

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

for one year. After his studies, he taught school.

R. H. Stearns and Company

In 1846 Stearns moved to Boston and worked in the store of C.C. Burr. A year later, Stearns opened up his own business in a small shop which later grew into a large store and Company, R. H. Stearns and Company. R. H. Stearns and Company became a fixture in the downtown Boston shopping scene for over a century, and also opened a few branch stores in the greater Boston area. The store catered to the "

carriage trade A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

" (well-off customers) and was particularly noted for its woman's clothing, the stereotypical Stearns customer being a white-gloved older woman of subdued upper-crust demeanor, although well-crafted children's items were also sold, as well as men's clothing, silver and crystal – but not appliances. In the early 1920s, R. H. Stearns and Company was bought by James Nelson and Bob Maynard. In the mid 20th century, Carl N. Schmalz (1898-1979), son of a general store owner in Huntley, Illinois, was president and later board chairman; Schmalz arranged the sale of the company to Edward Goodman, former president of Abraham & Straus, in 1975. The business closed in 1978. By the mid-1970s the changing face of the retail marketplace caught up with the store, and it did not have the financial backing like Filene's or Jordan Marsh, who were both owned by large national retail holding companies. At the time of Stearn's demise Filene's was owned by

Federated Department Stores Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...

, and Jordan Marsh was owned by Allied Stores. R. H. Stearns and Co. filed for bankruptcy and closed all stores in 1977.

Personal life and public service

Stearns served in the

Massachusetts Legislature The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, w ...

for two years and also on the Boston Educational Board. Stearns married Louise M. Waterman. His sons Frank Waterman Stearns and Richard Hall Stearns, Jr. (b. April 25, 1862) were members of R. H. Stearns and Company after R. H. Stearns's death. Another son, William Foster Stearns (b. April 18, 1859;) was an 1882 graduate of

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

and a Congregational clergyman. There was another son, Frederick R. Stearns. Stearns died in August 1909 in Poland Springs, Maine, at age 85 of natural causes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, R. H. American businesspeople in retailing Businesspeople from Boston 1824 births 1909 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople Massachusetts local politicians School board members in Massachusetts

Early life

R. H. Stearns and Company

Personal life and public service

See also

References