Sam Lucchese (1868–1929) was an Italian-born American businessman and impresario. He was the founder of the

Lucchese Boot Company The Lucchese Bootmaker Company () is a Texas-based, American manufacturer and retailer of luxury level western-inspired footwear and cowboy boots. History Originally known as Lucchese Bros. Boots & Shoes, the company was founded in 1883 in San An ...

and the owner of Spanish-language theaters in

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and

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of t ...

Early life

Sam Lucchese was born on February 24, 1868, in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

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, Italy.Elizabeth C. Ramírez, "LUCCHESE, SAM," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fluan), accessed July 16, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is a non-profit educational organization, dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, on March 2, 1897. , TSHA moved their offices from Austin to the University of N ...

. He immigrated to the United States in 1883 with his parents and siblings, settling in San Antonio, Texas.A Guide to the Lucchese Boot Company Records, 1910-1968

Dolph Briscoe Center for American History The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History is an organized research unit and public service component of the University of Texas at Austin named for Dolph Briscoe, the 41st governor of Texas. The center collects and preserves documents and ar ...

Career

Lucchese was a businessman. In 1883, he co-founded the Lucchese Boot Company with his brother in San Antonio. With the revenue from his boot company, Lucchese opened Spanish-speaking theaters in San Antonio and Laredo. In 1912, he acquired the Teatro Zaragoza on the corner of Commerce Street and Santa Rosa Street in San Antonio. Five years later, in 1917, he acquired the Teatro Nacional, located at the same intersection in San Antonio. An impresario, he hired actors from Mexico to perform in his theaters.

Personal life

He married Frances Battaglia. They had three sons and two daughters, including,

Josephine Lucchese Josephine Lucchese (July 24, 1893 – September 10, 1974) was an American operatic soprano who had an active international singing career during the 1920s and 1930s. A skilled coloratura soprano, she was particularly admired for her portrayals o ...

, who became a renowned opera vocalist.

Death and legacy

He died of a stroke on January 15, 1929 in San Antonio, Texas. He was buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery. After his death, his son Cosimo took over the Lucchese Boot Company. His grandson, Samuel James Lucchese, succeeded him, and designed boots for many actors.

References

External links

* 1868 births 1929 deaths Businesspeople from Palermo Italian emigrants to the United States People from San Antonio Businesspeople from Texas American company founders American fashion businesspeople Theatre owners Impresarios {{US-business-bio-1860s-stub