Seymour H. Knox I
Encyclopedia
This article is about the Buffalo merchant and businessman; see Seymour Knox
for other people with this name.
Seymour Horace Knox I (1861 Russell
, Saint Lawrence County, New York
-1915), was a Buffalo, New York
businessman who made his fortune in five-and-dime stores
. He merged his more than 100 stores with those of his first cousins, Frank Winfield Woolworth and Charles Woolworth, to form the F. W. Woolworth Company
. He went on to hold prominent positions in the merged company as well as Marine Trust Co
. He was the father of Seymour Knox II and grandfather of Seymour Knox III and Northrup Knox, the co-founders of the Buffalo Sabres
in the National Hockey League
.
Seymour H. Knox' father, James Horace Knox, was a farmer married to Jane E. McBrier. James' grandfather had fought in the American Revolution
. William Knox, was the first of this line of Knoxes to came to Massachusetts
from Belfast
, Ireland, in 1737.
Seymour attended the Russell district school and at fifteen, though he had never gone to high school, began to teach in school himself. At seventeen he moved to Hart, Michigan
, where for a few years he worked as a salesclerk. Then he left for Reading, Pennsylvania
, where he entered into a partnership with his first cousins. He later donated the Knox Memorial Central School Building (dedicated on July 30, 1913) that served the town until the Knox Memorial School and Edwards Central School merged.
Seymour married his wife Grace Millard Knox (1862-1936), in 1890, and they raised three children: Seymour H. Knox II
(Seymour, Jr.), Marjorie, and Dorothy. Among his grandchildren were Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R. Knox
, the original principal owners of the Buffalo Sabres
. Grace established The University of Buffalo's first endowment fund in 1916 when she donated $250,000.
Knox bred champion trotters
and pacers
and was a polo
enthusiast.
He initially became a partner with the Woolworths by jointly opening a Reading, Pennsylvania, Woolworth & Knox store with them on September 20, 1884, using his entire life savings. The Reading store's first several hours had no sales. However, after the partners took a lunchtime walk, they returned at 1:30 to find the local factory workers had been let out at 1:00—with their paychecks. Sales were brisk, and the partners never looked back. His second store, in Newark, New Jersey
, was short lived, but his partnership thrived nonetheless. The third venture, in Erie, Pennsylvania
, enabled them to buy out the Newark lease. He partnered with Frank to open the first Buffalo store, at 409 Main Street, on October 13, 1888.
By 1889, he was able to buy out his cousins. He maintained a collegial business relationship with his cousins after the buyout. In fact, he bought Woolworth merchandise at wholesale and sometimes traded in competition. He formed another brief partnership with another friendly rival Earle Perry Charlton from 1889-1895, opening his Buffalo "S.H. Knox Co." 5 and 10 Cent Store in 1890. In 1890, he made established headquarters in the Buffalo store. Sources disagree on the chronology of later stores. One source says that the second Buffalo store was opened at 549 William Street on June 20, 1891. Another says Knox opened his second store on December 18, 1893, at 519 Main Street four days after the first store at 409 Main Street was destroyed in the Wonderland Building Fire. The 519 Main Street store replaced the 409 Main Street after the December 14, 1893 fire and moved to 395 Main Street in 1895. He continued to build his S.H. Knox Co. 5 and 10 Cent Store empire. By the time of the 1911 incorporation of F. W. Woolworth Company
, Knox was the second largest of six store operators with 98 U.S. and 13 Canadian locations. In 1912, he received $12 million of the $65 million merger proceeds and was appointed Director and Senior Vice-Principal of the Corporation. Knox is remembered as the pioneering city center store operator. His Detroit, Michigan
store was the first outside of the agricultural and small-market towns. Many of the Woolworth friendly rivals emulated his plan.
In 1913, he purchased Stephen Clement's interests in Marine National. At his death, Seymour was Vice President of the Woolworth Co. and Chairman of the Board of the Marine Trust Co.
He was the first of three generations of the family to serve as Chairman.
Seymour Knox
Seymour Horace Knox III was a philanthropist and sports entrepreneur. He owned the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from their foundation in 1970 to his death in 1996, and served as chairman of the team. He was the grandson of Seymour H. Knox I, the F.W...
for other people with this name.
Seymour Horace Knox I (1861 Russell
Russell, New York
Russell is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,801 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Russell Attwater, the pioneer land owner....
, Saint Lawrence County, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-1915), was a Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
businessman who made his fortune in five-and-dime stores
Five and Dime
Five and Dime is a cartoon short by Walter Lantz which features Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. It is the 74th Oswald short produced by Lantz and the 125th overall. It also is among the number of shorts that feature Oswald in his fully clothed appearance....
. He merged his more than 100 stores with those of his first cousins, Frank Winfield Woolworth and Charles Woolworth, to form the F. W. Woolworth Company
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
. He went on to hold prominent positions in the merged company as well as Marine Trust Co
Marine Midland Bank
Marine Midland Bank was a bank formerly headquartered in Buffalo with several hundred branches throughout the state of New York. Marine Midland began in 1850 in Buffalo as the Marine Trust Company with the objective of financing the new shipping trade on the Great Lakes...
. He was the father of Seymour Knox II and grandfather of Seymour Knox III and Northrup Knox, the co-founders of the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Personal life
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. William Knox, was the first of this line of Knoxes to came to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
from Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, Ireland, in 1737.
Seymour attended the Russell district school and at fifteen, though he had never gone to high school, began to teach in school himself. At seventeen he moved to Hart, Michigan
Hart, Michigan
Hart is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,950. It is the county seat of Oceana County. The city is located within Hart Township, but is politically independent....
, where for a few years he worked as a salesclerk. Then he left for Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading is a city in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA, and seat of Berks County. Reading is the principal city of the Greater Reading Area and had a population of 88,082 as of the 2010 census, making it the fifth most populated city in the state after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown and Erie,...
, where he entered into a partnership with his first cousins. He later donated the Knox Memorial Central School Building (dedicated on July 30, 1913) that served the town until the Knox Memorial School and Edwards Central School merged.
Seymour married his wife Grace Millard Knox (1862-1936), in 1890, and they raised three children: Seymour H. Knox II
Seymour H. Knox II
Seymour Horace Knox II was a Buffalo, New York philanthropist and art exponent. He was born in 1898 in Buffalo, New York, the son of Seymour H. Knox I, the F.W. Woolworth Company co-founder. He was the father of Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R...
(Seymour, Jr.), Marjorie, and Dorothy. Among his grandchildren were Seymour H. Knox III and Northrup R. Knox
Northrup R. Knox
Northrup Rand Knox , was a Buffalo banker, sportsman, and community leader who, along with his brother Seymour, brought the National Hockey League franchise the Buffalo Sabres to Buffalo, New York. Knox is the third generation of the Knox family to serve as chairman of Marine Midland Bank and its...
, the original principal owners of the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
. Grace established The University of Buffalo's first endowment fund in 1916 when she donated $250,000.
Knox bred champion trotters
Harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait . They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, although racing under saddle is also conducted in Europe.-Breeds:...
and pacers
Standardbred horse
Standardbreds are a breed of horse best known for their ability to race in harness at a trot or pace instead of under saddle at a gallop. Developed in North America, the breed is now recognized worldwide for its harness racing ability...
and was a polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
enthusiast.
Professional career
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, was short lived, but his partnership thrived nonetheless. The third venture, in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, enabled them to buy out the Newark lease. He partnered with Frank to open the first Buffalo store, at 409 Main Street, on October 13, 1888.
By 1889, he was able to buy out his cousins. He maintained a collegial business relationship with his cousins after the buyout. In fact, he bought Woolworth merchandise at wholesale and sometimes traded in competition. He formed another brief partnership with another friendly rival Earle Perry Charlton from 1889-1895, opening his Buffalo "S.H. Knox Co." 5 and 10 Cent Store in 1890. In 1890, he made established headquarters in the Buffalo store. Sources disagree on the chronology of later stores. One source says that the second Buffalo store was opened at 549 William Street on June 20, 1891. Another says Knox opened his second store on December 18, 1893, at 519 Main Street four days after the first store at 409 Main Street was destroyed in the Wonderland Building Fire. The 519 Main Street store replaced the 409 Main Street after the December 14, 1893 fire and moved to 395 Main Street in 1895. He continued to build his S.H. Knox Co. 5 and 10 Cent Store empire. By the time of the 1911 incorporation of F. W. Woolworth Company
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
, Knox was the second largest of six store operators with 98 U.S. and 13 Canadian locations. In 1912, he received $12 million of the $65 million merger proceeds and was appointed Director and Senior Vice-Principal of the Corporation. Knox is remembered as the pioneering city center store operator. His Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
store was the first outside of the agricultural and small-market towns. Many of the Woolworth friendly rivals emulated his plan.
In 1913, he purchased Stephen Clement's interests in Marine National. At his death, Seymour was Vice President of the Woolworth Co. and Chairman of the Board of the Marine Trust Co.
Marine Midland Bank
Marine Midland Bank was a bank formerly headquartered in Buffalo with several hundred branches throughout the state of New York. Marine Midland began in 1850 in Buffalo as the Marine Trust Company with the objective of financing the new shipping trade on the Great Lakes...
He was the first of three generations of the family to serve as Chairman.