Jack Arnold Weil (March 28, 1901 – August 13, 2008) was the founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of the

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

-based Western clothing manufacture
Rockmount Ranch Wear
and was believed to be the oldest working CEO in the

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. Weil was born in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is Indiana's List of cities in Indiana, third-most populous city after India ...

, in 1901. In 1926, Weil (also known as Papa or "Papa Jack") married Beatrice Baum, and two years later the couple moved to Denver, Colorado, with their newborn son, Jack B. Seven years later, their daughter, Jane, was born, and in 1946, Weil rented a space at 1946 Wazee Street in Denver and set about trying to create a fashionable yet practical identity for the western ranchers of the region. Rockmount's fashions were featured prominently in the 2005

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-winning film ''

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''. Weil had five grandchildren—Greg, Gail, Janet, Steven, and Judy—all of whom worked at some point for the company. His grandson, Steven Weil, now runs the operation. Weil also had ten great-grandchildren, eight girls and three boys. Weil was well known for coining the phrase "The West is not a place, it is a state of mind." He was the first person to put

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on Western shirts, patented the saw-tooth pocket design seen on many Western shirts, and is credited with inventing the

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. Weil's wife died in 1990, followed by his son Jack B. in 2008.Haimeri, Ami (January 29, 2008)
Western wear innovator Jack B. dies
''CNNMoney'' He claimed to have quit smoking at age 60, drinking at age 90 and eating red meat at 100. However, Weil said he had a shot of

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twice a week for "medicinal purposes," specifically, to keep his blood thin. Weil died at home, surrounded by family, on August 13, 2008.Martin, Douglas (August 14, 2008)
Jack A. Weil, the Cowboy’s Dresser, Dies at 107.
''

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Notes

References

* Martin, Douglas
"Jack A. Weil, the Cowboy’s Dresser, Dies at 107,"
''New York Times.'' August 14, 2008.
Jack A. Weil, patriarch of western clothing, died on August 13th, aged 107,"
''The Economist'' (print edition). August 28, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Weil, Jack 1901 births 2008 deaths American chief executives of manufacturing companies American men centenarians People from Evansville, Indiana