Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-12-14
ILLNESS |SFATAL To
BUILDER Of ORIGINAL
DEPARTMENT STORE
Active Career of Former
Postmaster General and
Merchant Prince Ended
Fame WorId-W


PHILADELPHIA Pa, Dec. b.
John Wanamaker died at his home
here Tuesday.
He had been confined there since
early in November with heavy cold
contracted at his country estate,
"Lyndenhurst," at Jenkintown, near
here.
He was 81 years old.
MI. Wanamaker was active in
his business affairs up to the time
he was stricken.
He spent much of last winter in
Florida. and was in this city all
summer, hard at work, with the OK
ception of occasional surcease from
the duties of his office for day
at the seashore.
He was always an early riser and
was usually in his mercantile es
adjustment before it's doors were
opened.
his son, Rodman, a resident of New
York city, and two daughters. Mary
B., wife Of Barclay II. Warburton,
and Elizabeth, wife of Norman
Macleod, both of Philadelphia.
Mr.. Wanamaker's life was insured
for more than 100000, he hav.
ing been one of the leaders among
the heavily men in the coun.
try.
Greatest Department Store
John Wanamaker led in the crea-
ton of the department store as an
institution in American life. At the
outbreak of the Civil war in 1861
when he began business for himself
in a humble way in Philadelphia, re-
tail merchandising in this country
was in a disorganized state and in
the opinion of the farsighted young
merchant, it was suffering a rapid
decline through practices that ere
then general.
Aside from his ambition to make
money, my paramount purpose,
said Mr.. Wanamaker, was 10 help
I
lowering its flag before other Pre-.
LESSONS and occupations" There
We're in those days no fixed selling
price for goods. Business then de
handed thirteen-hour day from al
it's employees. Customers spent
hours price-haggling with statesmen.
Mr.. Wanamaler was impressed with
this waste of time and to eliminate
it he became pioneer in fixing a
selling price for goods. 1t was On4
of the beg inn.ngs of many mercan-
tile reforms which today are so gen
orally followed that the present gen
GRAFTON can scarcely find anywhere
a trace of the old practices.
Aside from establishing his one
price policy and making a shorter
business day, Mr.. Wanamaker es-
tablished in the new store two sys-
TENS, one of sales and the other Of
organization. He learned it WAS
cheaper 10 manufacture some classes
of goods than to buy from manufac-
turers and he became one of the
first retailers to do this. lie fOund
it difficult to get employees who We've
properly instructed in their duties
and he organized training schools
where his workers We're taught the
"Wanamaker system"
Civic Activity
Mr.. Wanamaker interested him
self in many civic activities. He was
the first salaried secretary in Amer.
lea of the Young Mems Christian as
ISOLATION, in 1858; one of the found
ers in the Christian commission dur
ing the Civil war, and one of the or.
ganizers of the Centennial exposition
in 1876. In the latter year he be-
gan the development of his depart,
ment store. establishing the house OF
John Wanamaker & Co., on Chest
nut street Philadelphia, and twenty
years later established Q similar
business in New York as successor
OF A. I. Stewart. 1t is estimated
that during his entire business ca
reer Mr.. Wanamaker had distribute
ed into American homes merchan-
disc reaching nearly a billion dollars
in value.
He was known as a great believer
in advertising, in newspaper adver-
Using above all other varieties. He
spent millions Of dollars in it. One
of the features of his advertising
campaign was his development of
the store News Page" which he led
with an editorial over his own sigma
ture, invariably written by himself,
to keep the public in touch with the
policies of his business. His friends
often saw him writing such an edi
tOrial on his way to the store in the
morning, Scribbling it on the back
of an envelope or any odd scrap of
paper he had in his pocket.
Political Life
In political life Mr. Wanamaker
was prominent as an Independent
Republican. In 1882 he was offered
the Republican nomination as con-
g'ressman-at-large for the state of
Pennsylvania, but declined it, and in
1886 he declined to be an independent
candidate for mayor of Philadelphia
He took an active part in most of
the presidential campaigns and gave
great amount of work TO the Re
publican National Executive commit
tee, of which he was a member dur
ing the Harrison campaign.
Upon the election of Harrison. Mr..
/ Wanamaker was invited to enter the
cabinet, and although there was
much criticism to the effect that a
merchant was unfit for q cabinet
position, Mr.. Wanamaker became
postmaster general and was &C
| knowledged later by his critics to
| have worked many desirable reforms
in the postal system.
Organization, system method and
business mechanism so essential in
the postOffice department were all
in Mr.. Wanamaker's line. He spread