John Simmons (clothing manufacturer)

John Simmons (clothing manufacturer)

John Simmons (October 30, 1796August 29, 1870) was a pioneer in clothing manufacturing and the founder of Simmons College, a liberal arts women's college in Boston, Massachusetts.

He was born in Little Compton, Rhode Island and grew up on a family farm. As a teenager, he traveled to Boston to join his elder brother, who had become a tailor. Working as a tailor, John Simmons noticed that many customers required clothing in similar sizes, and he struck upon the idea of making up clothes in common sizes in advance. He was thus an innovator in making ready-to-wear clothing in standard sizes. [cite web |url=http://my.simmons.edu/counsel/pdfs/employeeHandbook.pdf |title=Simmons College Employee Handbook |accessdate=2008-05-19 |page=13 |work= ]

By the end of the American Civil War, he had become the country’s largest clothing manufacturer. With the profits from his clothing business, he became a real estate investor and eventually owned much of the Financial District in Boston.

When Simmons died in 1870, his will provided for his estate to "found and endow an institution to be called Simmons Female College, for the purpose of teaching medicine, music, drawing, designing, telegraphy, and other branches of art, science, and industry best calculated to enable the scholars to acquire an independent livelihood." [ cite web |url=http://www.simmons.edu/inauguration/presidents/simmons/ |title=John Simmons, Founder |accessdate=2008-05-05 |author=John Simmons |date= |work= |publisher=Simmons College ]

The founding of this institution was delayed by the Great Boston Fire of 1872, which destroyed most of his properties. The rebuilding took many years, and it was only in 1899 that the institution was finally established. [cite web |url=http://my.simmons.edu/counsel/pdfs/employeeHandbook.pdf |title=Simmons College Employee Handbook |accessdate=2008-05-19 |page=13 |work= ] Today it is known as Simmons College.

References

Sources

*
*
*
*


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • John Simmons (disambiguation) — John Simmons may refer to:*John Simmons, American football player *John Simmons (clothing manufacturer) (1796 1870), Clothing manufacturer and founder of Simmons College *John Simon Gabriel Simmons (1915 2005), British scholar *John Simmons… …   Wikipedia

  • List of oldest companies — This list of the oldest companies includes brands and companies, excluding associations, educational, government or religious organisations. This list is taken from one restricted and geographically biased source, and because of the difficulty… …   Wikipedia

  • New Jersey Nets — New Jersey Americans redirects here. For the soccer club, see New Jersey Americans (soccer). New Jersey Nets 2011 12 New Jersey Nets season …   Wikipedia

  • Little Compton, Rhode Island — Infobox Settlement official name = Little Compton, Rhode Island other name = native name = nickname = settlement type = Town motto = imagesize = image caption = flag size = image seal size = image shield = shield size = image blank emblem = blank …   Wikipedia

  • Madonna (entertainer) — Madonna …   Wikipedia

  • Dates of 2004 — ▪ 2005 January It turns out we were all wrong, probably, in my judgment. David Kay, former U.S. chief weapons inspector in Iraq, in testimony to the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, January 28 January 1              Haitian Pres. Jean… …   Universalium

  • Chronology — 50,000 BCE The first prehistoric human, Cro Magnon man, learned to survive in cold climates by fashioning clothing out of animal skins, tree bark, and foliage. Paleolithic cave paintings such as those found in Lascaux, France, indicate that early …   Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry

  • Calendar of 2000 — ▪ 2001 January We are fortunate to be alive at this moment in history. Never before has our nation enjoyed, at once, so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal crisis and so few external threats. Never before have we had such… …   Universalium

  • Art, Antiques, and Collections — ▪ 2003 Introduction       In 2002 major exhibitions such as Documenta 11 reflected the diverse nature of contemporary art: artists from a variety of cultures received widespread recognition for work ranging from installation to video to painting …   Universalium

  • Harley-Davidson — Type Public company Traded as NYSE: HOG …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”