Thomas Sperry
Encyclopedia
Thomas A. Sperry was the co-founder and the "S" of S&H Green Stamps
, together with Shelly Hutchinson.
was destroyed by a fire during 1912, with the fire causing an estimated $150,000 in damages, including the loss of a number of paintings-- many from the Charles W. Morse
gallery. Sperry's horse trainer and chauffeur were able to rescue several paintings from the house's music room before they were stopped by flames, including an oil painting of Sperry's son on the horse on which he had won a ribbon the previous day at the Plainfield Horse Show. After a firefighter threw down a painting of Sperry's wife in her wedding gown, Mrs. Sperry was quoted as calling out "Don't save that! Save something worth while".
Sperry's son, also named Thomas, was born in Cranford during 1898. He was involved with real estate
business and died in Palm Beach, Florida
during 1973.
Sperry died at the age of 49 years on September 2, 1913 of ptomaine poison contracted during the return voyage after a two-month trip to Europe. Sperry was brought ashore in a stretcher and his condition was too bad to travel to his home in Cranford.
and became what The New York Times
described as "the first independent trading stamp company to distribute stamps and books to merchants". The stamps gained popularity during the early 1900s as the S&H program offered incentives to shoppers rewarding them for making timely payments in cash, and helping maintain customer loyalty to merchants that participated in the program.
The S&H Green Stamps had their greatest popularity during the 1960s, with a significant percentage of supermarkets and gasoline stations offering the stamps to customers with their purchases. The firm had 800 redemption centers nationwide to allow stamps to be traded in for products. For a period of time during the 1960s, the firm was printing more stamps each year than the United States Postal Service
.
, alleging that Sperry had defrauded Hutchinson of part of his shares in the company, allowing William M. Sperry, the brother of the founder, to gain control of the firm. Hutchinson alleged that he had been cheated out of $5 million as a result of secret dividends that had diverted company funds to Sperry.
S&H Green Stamps
S&H Green Stamps were trading stamps popular in the United States from the 1930s until the late 1980s. They were distributed as part of a rewards program operated by the Sperry and Hutchinson company , founded in 1896 by Thomas Sperry and Shelly Hutchinson...
, together with Shelly Hutchinson.
Biography
Sperry's home in Cranford, New JerseyCranford, New Jersey
Cranford is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,625.Cranford was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 14, 1871, from portions of the Townships of Clark, Linden,...
was destroyed by a fire during 1912, with the fire causing an estimated $150,000 in damages, including the loss of a number of paintings-- many from the Charles W. Morse
Charles W. Morse
Charles Wyman Morse was a notorious businessman and speculator on Wall Street in the early 20th century.-Early life:...
gallery. Sperry's horse trainer and chauffeur were able to rescue several paintings from the house's music room before they were stopped by flames, including an oil painting of Sperry's son on the horse on which he had won a ribbon the previous day at the Plainfield Horse Show. After a firefighter threw down a painting of Sperry's wife in her wedding gown, Mrs. Sperry was quoted as calling out "Don't save that! Save something worth while".
Sperry's son, also named Thomas, was born in Cranford during 1898. He was involved with real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
business and died in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
during 1973.
Sperry died at the age of 49 years on September 2, 1913 of ptomaine poison contracted during the return voyage after a two-month trip to Europe. Sperry was brought ashore in a stretcher and his condition was too bad to travel to his home in Cranford.
Business
Together with Hutchinson, Sperry founded the Sperry and Hutchinson Company during 1896. Sperry and Hutchinson started their business in MichiganMichigan
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"....
and became what The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described as "the first independent trading stamp company to distribute stamps and books to merchants". The stamps gained popularity during the early 1900s as the S&H program offered incentives to shoppers rewarding them for making timely payments in cash, and helping maintain customer loyalty to merchants that participated in the program.
The S&H Green Stamps had their greatest popularity during the 1960s, with a significant percentage of supermarkets and gasoline stations offering the stamps to customers with their purchases. The firm had 800 redemption centers nationwide to allow stamps to be traded in for products. For a period of time during the 1960s, the firm was printing more stamps each year than the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
.
Conflict
During 1921, Hutchinson sued the estate of Thomas A. Sperry in court in Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, alleging that Sperry had defrauded Hutchinson of part of his shares in the company, allowing William M. Sperry, the brother of the founder, to gain control of the firm. Hutchinson alleged that he had been cheated out of $5 million as a result of secret dividends that had diverted company funds to Sperry.