Simon Lazarus (1807–1877) was an American clothing retailer and the founder of the predecessor of what was to become The F&R Lazarus & Co., an operation which blossomed into what is today known as

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

, a major retail holding company in the U.S.

Early life

In 1850, Lazarus, a rabbinical scholar, arrived in Columbus, and in 1851 he opened the Lazarus store. Assisted by his wife Amelia and sons Fred and Ralph, Simon and his store gradually began to prosper. Simon Lazarus was once described as "a good man, a gentle man, a scholar--and no merchant,"—and Simon's own grandson, the late Robert Lazarus, Sr., was the man who said it. By 1870, industry improvements (primarily attributable to the mass manufacture of men's uniforms for the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

), led the family to expand the business to include ready-made men's civilian clothing and eventually a complete line of merchandise. Simon Lazarus served as the first

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

of Central

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

's oldest Reform synagogue, Temple Israel. Later Simon sons, Fred Lazarus, Sr. and

Ralph Lazarus Ralph (pronounced ; or ,) is a male given name of English, Scottish and Irish origin, derived from the Old English ''Rædwulf'' and Radulf, cognate with the Old Norse ''Raðulfr'' (''rað'' "counsel" and ''ulfr'' "wolf"). The most common forms ...

, joined the business, adding many innovative marketing techniques. After Simon's death in 1877, his widow Amelia continued running the store with their two sons. After Amelia's death in 1899, the store was renamed The F&R Lazarus & Company and positioned for rapid expansion of the company. Lazarus was interred at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.

References

External links

Biographical information

Many Happy Returns to Lazarus
''WOSU-TV Documentary''

''Columbus Jewish Historical Society''

''Columbus Dispatch'', May 14, 2007

''Columbus Dispatch'', May 15, 2007

''Columbus Business First'', December 21, 2001

''University of Cincinnati''
Great Living Cincinnatians: Fred Lazarus, Jr.
''Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce''

''Time Magazine,'' December 9, 1946

''Time Magazine,'' September 29, 1967

''Time Magazine,'' January 19, 1968

''Time Magazine,'' April 3, 1964

''Time Magazine,'' September 8, 1958

''Time Magazine,'' July 16, 1945

''New York Times'' * ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070929200301/http://columbusjewishhistoricalsociety.org/Oral%20Histories/Interviews/HTML/witkind_charlotte.htm Interview with Charlotte Lazarus Witkind''Columbus Jewish Historical Society''

Other

History of Federated Department Stores

WOSU-TV Documentary: Many Happy Returns to Lazarus Documentary

* ttp://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2004/09/27/editorial2.html Business First Article: So Long, Lazarus
Columbus Dispatch Article: Name Change Hurt Macy's: Decision to drop ‘Lazarus’ not a hit here
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lazarus, Simon 1820 births 1877 deaths American businesspeople in retailing American Jews American retail chief executives Lazarus, Simon 19th-century American businesspeople