C. R. Mabley
Encyclopedia
C.R.Mabley was the founder of a chain of department stores in the USA. He was known as "The Merchant Prince"
Christopher Richards Mabley was born on Feb 22, 1836 in St. Minver, Cornwall
, England
to William and Mary née Richards Mably. His first wife, Catherine, bore him at least 8 children of whom only two or three girls survived to adulthood. Around 1875 he married Katherine Morice Hull (with whom he had another 6 children) and in 1877 emigrated via Toronto (where his father set up as a silk merchant) to America.
There he opened a chain of clothing stores (known as Mabley & Co) across Michigan
(Pontiac, Ionia, Flint, Detroit), Illinois
and Ohio
(Toledo, Cleveland) which were so successful that he was soon able to commission the tallest building in Detroit (14 floors) as his flagship store but died in 1885 before it could be completed. The building was renamed the Majestic Building by a new owner because of the many letter Ms (for Mabley) carved into the stonework.
The final store, in Cincinnati, was named Mabley and Carew and was jointly owned with Joseph Carew. Joseph T. Carew
had been one of Mabley's managers and later his business partner and managed the Cincinnati store.
Mabley delighted in the out-door life, belonging to the old Detroit Boat Club and the St. Clair Pishing Club. In politics he was a Democrat, but was very broad in his views,
voting for the best man regardless of party affiliations. He would never accept public office, although several times approached with a request to accept the nomination for mayor. He was a valued member of the Universalist church.
After his early death on June 30, 1885 he was interred with his early children in the family vault in Oak Hill Cemetery, Pontiac which in 2002 was sadly vandalised by a local man using it as a lockup. His only surviving son Carleton Raymond Mabley co-founded the Smith and Mabley auto manufacturing company of New York City
.
Christopher Richards Mabley was born on Feb 22, 1836 in St. Minver, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to William and Mary née Richards Mably. His first wife, Catherine, bore him at least 8 children of whom only two or three girls survived to adulthood. Around 1875 he married Katherine Morice Hull (with whom he had another 6 children) and in 1877 emigrated via Toronto (where his father set up as a silk merchant) to America.
There he opened a chain of clothing stores (known as Mabley & Co) across Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(Pontiac, Ionia, Flint, Detroit), Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
(Toledo, Cleveland) which were so successful that he was soon able to commission the tallest building in Detroit (14 floors) as his flagship store but died in 1885 before it could be completed. The building was renamed the Majestic Building by a new owner because of the many letter Ms (for Mabley) carved into the stonework.
The final store, in Cincinnati, was named Mabley and Carew and was jointly owned with Joseph Carew. Joseph T. Carew
Joseph T. Carew
Joseph Thomas Carew was an American department store owner.Carew was born in Peterboro, Ontario on Jan 2, 1848, the elder son of Robert Shapland Carew and Euphemia Carew, a well-to-do Irish family working for the British government in Canada...
had been one of Mabley's managers and later his business partner and managed the Cincinnati store.
Mabley delighted in the out-door life, belonging to the old Detroit Boat Club and the St. Clair Pishing Club. In politics he was a Democrat, but was very broad in his views,
voting for the best man regardless of party affiliations. He would never accept public office, although several times approached with a request to accept the nomination for mayor. He was a valued member of the Universalist church.
After his early death on June 30, 1885 he was interred with his early children in the family vault in Oak Hill Cemetery, Pontiac which in 2002 was sadly vandalised by a local man using it as a lockup. His only surviving son Carleton Raymond Mabley co-founded the Smith and Mabley auto manufacturing company of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.