Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-01-25
FIELD A MERCANTILE GENIUS.
Humble Clerk Attains First Place
in Worlds Commerce.


From clerk in a country store TO the
merchant prince of modern times is the
gulf spanned by Marshall Field Of Chi
cago. He was born ON a farm near Con-
way. Mass, Aug. IS. 1885. a son Of John
Field, a sturdy New England farmer.
and was the third of a family of nine
children.
The first actual work done by Mar
shall Field in this world was 10 drive
the cows from a pasture to the barns
upon his fathers farm. Subsequently
he learned to milk COWS and as he grew
older his spare time was spent in vari-
Gus dFties connected with farm work.
His father. however. started him 10 the
district school at the age of 6 and he
continued to put in his time at the school
and at an academy in Conway until he
obtained position in the general store
of Deacon Davis at Conway.
The first appearance of young Field
| in the mercantile world was not wholly
| success, and it was even counted a
failure by the hard-shelled deacon-pro-
prietor, who told John Field, the boys
father, after the lad had been at work
in the store for some weeks. that Mar
SLOEeheeDGF.
and he advised the father to take the
| lad back to the farm for farm work
| Marshall Field was dismissed from the
service Of the owner of a country store.
but he was not discouraged; he had seen
! just enough of trade to whet his appe-
| tite and he decided that his life work
would be in the mercantile field. Young
Field decided to disregard the advice of
| Deacon Davis at Conway and he secur-
ed a position in a general store in Pitts
| field. Mass. where he served an appren-
| ticeship of four years in the mercantile
business. He was q years old by this
time and he decided to change his domi-
Gle to the West, and Chicago was the
| point he settled upon for future opera
tons. He worked four years for Coo
ley. Wadsworth & Co., where he first
applied for a position. His duties We're
not of an elevating character, but while
| in his humble position he became ac-
| quainted with Levi Z. Letter, another
ambitious young fellow, and shoulder to
shoulder they started in the battle for
supremacy in the mercantile world.
His employers evidently recognized
genius in his originality and daring. and
after four years service in 1860 Field
was first identified with the business
| fortunes of Chicago. when he was made
a partner in the firm. which at that time
was Cooley, Farwell & Co. Later the
firms name was changed to Farwell,
Field & Co. The war followed and the
firm Melted large profits, and it was at
that time Fields savings became a nu-
cleus of his later fortune. In 1865,
! ~. I
the new firm existed under the name of
Field Letter & Palmer, the members
! being, besides Marshall Field. Levi u.
Letter and Potter Palmer. The latter
withdrew from the mercantile business
two years later, leaving the firm Field,
Letter & Co., which for fourteen years
| fourished, until the firm was the best
and most favorably known of any mer-
camille house in the West.
1t was in 1881 that Letter withdrew
from the firm and left Marshall Field
| the sole proprietor of the mammoth re-
tail and wholesale business, which he
proceeded to build into an institution
immensely larger and more perfect than
| that controlled by the two. Since 1881
| the establishments have been operated
by Marshall Field & Co., and for a quar-
ter of century the company, which has
been practically Marshall Field and all
direction his, has been branching out,
purchasing new frontage, charging and
improving, until the establishment is to-
! day recognized as one Of the world s
greatest mercantile houses. This in
brief, is the history of Marshall Fields
remarkable progress from obscurity and
| incompetence to the height of wealth
and proficiency, the most successful mer-
chant Of the age.