Frank Winfield Woolworth (1852 - 1919)

Born 13 Apr 1852 in Rodman, Jefferson, New York, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 8 Apr 1919 at age 66 in Glen Cove, Nassau, New York, United States

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Biography

Frank Woolworth is Notable.

Frank Winfield Woolworth (April 13, 1852 – April 8, 1919) was the founder of F. W. Woolworth Company, and operator of discount stores known as "Five-and-Dimes" that featured a selection of merchandise priced at five and ten cents. He pioneered the now-common practices of buying merchandise direct from manufacturers and fixing prices on items, rather than haggling. He was the first to use self-service display cases so customers could examine what they wanted to buy without the help of a salesclerk.

Frank Woolworth was born in Rodman, New York, to John Hubbell Woolworth and Fanny McBrier, and had a brother, Charles Sumner Woolworth.

On June 11, 1876, he married Jennie Creighton (1853–1924); eventually they had three daughters. One, Edna Woolworth (1883–1917), the mother of Barbara Hutton, later committed suicide.[12]

He borrowed $300 and opened a five-cent store in Utica, New York, on February 22, 1878. It failed within weeks. Woolworth opened his second store in April 1879, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he expanded the concept to include merchandise priced at ten cents.

In 1911, the F.W. Woolworth Company was incorporated with 586 stores. In 1913, Woolworth built the Woolworth Building in New York City at a cost of $13.5 million in cash. At the time, it was the tallest building in the world, measuring 792 feet, or 241.4 meters.

He built Winfield Hall in Glen Cove, New York, on Long Island, in 1916, Woolworth died on April 8, 1919, five days before his 67th birthday.^[1]

At the time of his death, Woolworth was worth approximately $6.5 million or the equivalent of 1/1214th of the US GNP

He is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, Bronx, New York, United States

Sources

1. ↑ "New York, State Death Index, 1880-1956", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:2:QRQY-FK6G : 2 March 2022), Entry for Frank W Woolworth, 1919.

See Also:

• Frank Winfield Woolworth
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/1127/frank-winfield-woolworth: accessed 28 July 2022), memorial page for Frank Winfield Woolworth (13 Apr 1852–8 Apr 1919), Find a Grave Memorial ID 1127, citing Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave Find A Grave: Memorial #1127.