Arshag Karagheusian ( December 4, 1872 - September 24, 1963) was an
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
rug manufacturer and co-owner of
A. & M. Karagheusian, Inc. He also served as the head of the
Armenian General Benevolent Union
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or ,''Hay Parekordzagan Enthanour Miyutyun'' or ...
becoming its 4th president from 1943 to 1952, after
Boghos Nubar,
Calouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (; ; 23 March 1869 – 20 July 1955) was an Ottoman-born British Armenian businessman and philanthropist. He played a major role in making the petroleum reserves of the Middle East available to Western development a ...
and
Zareh Nubar
Zareh Nubar (1883–1963; or in Western Armenian) was the son of Boghos Nubar, the founder of the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and grandson of the Egyptian Prime Minister Nubar Pasha. Nubar was born in Alexandria, Egypt, the youngest ...
.
Career
Arshag Karagheusian and his brother Miran Karagheusian (1874–1948) fled the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1896 to go to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and then to the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Their family had been in the
rug trade in Turkey since 1818, and they began in the United States in 1897 as rug importers.
They expanded into manufacturing in 1903. By 1927 they had 15 broadlooms and 196 single looms. They were the only manufacturers of "Gulistan Rug" carpets, a style which they developed. They were commissioned to make the carpet for
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
in 1932 and for the
United States Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...
building in 1933.
The company A. & M. Karagheusian, Inc. was headquartered at 295
Fifth Avenue
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. The avenue runs south from 143rd Street (Manhattan), West 143rd Street in Harlem to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. The se ...
in
Manhattan
Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...
. The manufacturing plant was located in
Freehold Borough, New Jersey
Freehold is a borough in and the county seat of Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey., National Association of Counties. Accessed January 21, 2013. Known for its Victorian era homes and extensive colonial history, the borough is l ...
, where it operated for 60 years before closing in 1964. At its peak operation in the 1930s, it employed 1,700 people. They stopped manufacturing oriental-style carpets in 1953.
Arshag Karagheusian and his wife had the following children:
*Jean Karagheusian (1898–2000), who married Mr. Jean Hallaure; she was aka Alice Hallaure;
*Charles Karagheusian (1903–1977), who married Artemis Tavshanjian (1904–1990) on April 30, 1927;
*Marguerite Karagheusian (1904–1986), who married Mr. Oshin Agathon.
Arshag Karagheusian died on September 24, 1963, in
Larchmont, New York
Larchmont is a Village (New York), village located within the Town (New York), Town of Mamaroneck (town), New York, Mamaroneck in Westchester County, New York. Larchmont is a suburb of New York City, located approximately northeast of Midt ...
.
References
External links
Monmouth County Historical Association: Coll. 51 A & M Karagheusian, Inc. Records, 1914-2001
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karagheusian, Arshag
1872 births
1963 deaths
American people of Armenian descent
Armenians from the Ottoman Empire
Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to the United States
Presidents of the Armenian General Benevolent Union