Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss was a notable figure in American history, born in 1829 in Bavaria, Germany. He was the youngest child of Jewish parents and emigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century, following his family's journey to escape anti-Semitism in Europe. Initially settling in New York City, Strauss worked in a dry-goods business before moving to California during the Gold Rush to expand the family business. Recognizing a demand for durable work clothing, he designed heavy-duty denim overalls that quickly gained popularity among miners. In 1873, Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis patented the addition of copper rivets to the seams of his pants, enhancing their durability and leading to the creation of what are now known as blue jeans. Beyond his business success, Strauss was also involved in philanthropy, supporting various charitable causes and institutions, including the establishment of a synagogue and an orphanage. He passed away in 1902, leaving behind a legacy marked by entrepreneurship and community support.
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Subject Terms
Levi Strauss
Textile Manufacturer
- Born: February 26, 1829
- Birthplace: Buttenheim, Bavaria (now in Germany)
- Died: September 26, 1902
- Place of death: San Francisco, California
Identification: German-born American clothing manufacturer and philanthropist
Significance:A civic-minded industrialist, Levi Strauss founded a large clothing business that was dedicated to the fair treatment of its workers, a large part of whom were immigrants.
Born in German Bavaria in 1829, Leob “Levi” Strauss was the youngest child of Jewish parents, Hirsch and Rebecca Strauss. His father earned a modest income as a dry-goods peddler but died from tuberculosis in 1845, when Levi was only sixteen. At that time, anti-Semitism was widespread in Bavaria, so Levi’s two older brothers emigrated from the country to the United States. They settled in New York City, where they opened a dry-goods business in a large Jewish community. Two years later, Levi, his mother, and his sisters acquired exit visas and passports that enabled them to emigrate and join the brothers in New York City, where Levi initially peddled dry goods.
In 1853, Strauss became an American citizen at the age of twenty-four. During that same year, he traveled west to California’s gold rush country to establish a West Coast branch of his brothers’ dry-goods business. Near the wharves of San Francisco, he ran a shop with a brother-in-law, David Stern. Very soon he realized that one of the region’s greatest needs was for durable pants suitable for gold mining work. To meet that demand, he designed heavy-duty overalls made with denim fabric that rapidly became popular.
In 1863, the family company was renamed “Levi Strauss & Co.” By 1870, Strauss himself was already a millionaire. He teamed with an immigrant tailor, Jacob Davis, contributing the sixty-eight dollar filing fee on a patent to add copper rivets to stress-points on the pants’ seams. They received the patent on May 20, 1873.
Eager to share his good fortune, Strauss helped build a synagogue and establish an orphanage. As a member of the California Immigrant Union he encouraged immigration and promoted California products. He died in 1902 at the age of seventy-three, leaving bequests to Hebrew, Roman Catholic, and Protestant charities.
Bibliography
Ford, Carin T. Levi Strauss: The Man Behind Blue Jeans. Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow, 2004.
Henry, Sondra, and Emily Taitz. Everyone Wears His Name: A Biography of Levi Strauss. New York: Dillon Press, 1990.