Alvah C. Roebuck
Alvah Curtis Roebuck (born January 9, 1864 in Lafayette, Indiana - June 18,1948) was co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Co. At an early age, Roebuck showed a great interest in mechanical things, and at 16 he was already a self-taught watchmaker. When he reached 22, Roebuck secured a position in a small jewelry store in Hammond, Indiana. The following year, impatient to get ahead and earn more money, he began scanning the help-wanted sections of Chicago newspapers. On April 1, 1887, Roebuck answered an advertisement for a watchmaker in the Chicago Daily News, and two days later he received a reply. Richard W. Sears wanted to hire him. Thus began the association of two men who would soon form one of the world's best-known business partnerships. The firm was incorporated as Sears, Roebuck and Company in 1893. In 1895 Roebuck at Richard Sears' request took charge of a division that handled watches, jewelry, optical goods, and, later, phonographs, magic lanterns and motion picture machines. He later organized and financed two companies: the Enterprise Optical Equipment Mfg. Company which made and distributed high quality 35mm motion picture projectors, sound equipment and accessories. After his tenure there (1897-1924) the company changed its name to Motiograph, Inc. (1936-1969). Roebuck also served as president (1909-1924) of Emerson Typewriter Company, where he invented a typewriter, called the "Woodstock". In September of 1934, a Sears store manager asked Roebuck to make a public appearance at his store. After an enthusiastic public turnout, Roebuck went on tour, appearing at retail stores across the country for the next several years. Alvah Roebuck returned to his desk at company headquarters in Chicago, where he enthusiastically assumed the task of compiling a corporate history until his death in 1948.
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