Oscar Johnson (businessman)

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Oscar Johnson
BornJanuary 6, 1864
Senatobia, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 1916
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Resting placeBellefontaine Cemetery
OccupationBusinessman
Spouse(s)Irene Walter
Children2 sons, 1 daughter
RelativesHarvey Washington Walter (father-in-law)
Frank C. Rand (cousin)
Edgar E. Rand (nephew)
Henry Hale Rand (nephew)

Oscar Johnson (c. 1863 – July 28, 1916) was an American businessman. He was the co-founder and president of the International Shoe Company, the largest shoe-manufacturing company in the world by the time of his death.

Early life[]

Oscar Johnson was born circa 1863 in Senatobia, Mississippi.[2] He was raised by an uncle in Holly Springs, Mississippi.[2] He had a brother, Jackson Johnson (who went on to serve as the chairman of the International Shoe Company), and two sisters, Lillian Walter and Perle Dye of New Canaan, Connecticut.[3]

Career[]

Roberts, Johnson and Rand-International Shoe Company Complex in St. Louis, Missouri.

Johnson first worked as a clerk in a country store.[2]

With his brother and his cousins and Frank C. Rand, Johnson co-founded Johnson, Carruthers & Rand Shoe Co. in Memphis, Tennessee in 1893.[2] By 1908, they moved to St. Louis, where they co-founded the Roberts, Johnson & Rand Co. with John C. Roberts.[3] In 1911, they acquired the Peters Shoe Co.[3] It eventually became known as the International Shoe Company, and Johnson became its president, while his brother Jackson was its chairman.[3] By the time of his death, the International Shoe Company had become the largest shoe manufacturing company in the world.[3]

Personal life and death[]

Johnson married to Irene Walter, the daughter of Confederate veteran Harvey Washington Walter, in 1889.[2] They had two sons, Oscar Jr. and Lee, and a daughter, Fredonia.[1] They resided at 28 Portland Place in St. Louis.[1][3] They also owned a farm in Franklin County, Missouri.[1] Additionally, they acquired Irene's family home, Walter Place in Holly Springs in 1889.[4] He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South,[3] the and the Ridgedale Country Club in Ridgedale, Missouri.[2]

Johnson died on July 28, 1916, in St. Louis, and he was buried at the Bellefontaine Cemetery.[3] Upon his death, he was worth an estimated $2,147,742.[1] He was succeeded as president of the International Shoe Company by his cousin Frank C. Rand in November 1936.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e "Oscar Johnson's Personal Estate Valued At $2,147,742". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. September 6, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved May 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Oscar Johnson Dies Suddenly In His Office". St Louis Post-Dispatch. July 29, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved May 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Oscar Johnson Funeral Held This Morning". The St. Louis Star and Times. St. Louis, Missouri. July 31, 1916. p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Kempe, Helen Kerr (1998). Marshall County: From the Collection of Chesley Thorne Smith. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing Company. p. 30.
  5. ^ "Rand Elected Head of International Shoe Co". The St. Louis Star and Times. November 1, 1916. p. 9. Retrieved May 19, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
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