Andrew MacLeish (June 26, 1838 – January 14, 1928) was a Scottish and American businessman.

Life and career

MacLeish was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, to Agnes (Lindsay of

Clan Lindsay Clan Lindsay is a Scottish clan of the Scottish Lowlands. History Origins of the clan The Lindsays were prominent in both England and Scotland from the late 11th century. The surname derives from the region of Lindsey, Lincolnshire, Lindsey in ...

, born 1812) and Archibald MacLeish of

Clan Macpherson Clan Macpherson ( , ) is a Scottish clan from the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and a member of the Chattan Confederation. History Origins The Scottish Gaelic surname for Macpherson is ''Mac a' Phearsain'' which means ''son of the parson''. ...

(born 1809). He received his education at the Glasgow Normal Academy, Hardy's English Academy and Flint's Commercial Academy. He worked in Glasgow and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1855 and 1856. That same year he immigrated to the United States, settling in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He spent six years as an employee of J. D. Sherman and J. G. Shay and was a member of J. B. Shay & Co. from 1864 to 1866. In 1867 he joined Carson, Pirie Scott & Co. and established the firm's retail department store. Along with

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...

, MacLeish was a co-founder of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

. He remained head of the store until his death in 1928. MacLeish's great-grandson by his second wife is

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver Bear for Best Actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Suppo ...

(b. 1936), an American film actor, and his great-great-granddaughter is actress

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born ...

(b. 1967). His third wife was

Martha Hillard Martha Hillard MacLeish ( Hillard; August 17, 1856 – December 19, 1947) was an American educator and community leader. Biography Hillard was born in Hadlyme, Connecticut, daughter of Rev. Elias Brewster Hillard (Preston, Connecticut, Septemb ...

.James, p. 473Lisle, pp. 1-5 They married on August 2, 1888 and had two daughters and three sons, including Norman Hillard MacLeish, married to Lenore Ada McCall. Their son,

Archibald Archibald may refer to: People and characters *Archibald (name), a masculine given name and a surname *Archibald (musician) (1916–1973), American R&B pianist * Archibald, a character from the animated TV show ''Archibald the Koala'' Other uses ...

became

Librarian of Congress The librarian of Congress is the head of the Library of Congress, appointed by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, for a term of ten years. The librarian of Congress also appoints and overs ...

. Another son,

Kenneth Kenneth is a given name of Gaelic origin. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byna ...

, was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. A

Naval aviator Naval aviation / Aeronaval is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. It often involves '' navalised aircraft'', specifically designed for naval use. Seaborne aviation encompas ...

, he received the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

posthumously for his combat actions. MacLeish died in Glencoe.Obituary: "Andrew MacLeish"
''New York Times.'' January 15, 1928. Archibald MacLeish, in writing of his father, said: "My father came from a very old country in the north and far away, and he belonged to an old strange race, the race older than any other. He did not talk of his country but he sang bits of old songs with words that he said no one could understand anymore."

Notes

References

*Addams, Jane. ''My friend, Julia Lathrop''. Campaign-Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2004. *James, Edward T. ''Notable American Women, 1607–1950 : A Biographical Dictionary''. Cambridge. Publisher: Harvard University Press, 1971 *Lisle, Laurie. ''Westover: Giving Girls a Place of Their Own''. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Macleish, Andrew 1838 births 1928 deaths American businesspeople British emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Glasgow Dern family University of Chicago people