Jacob Elias Cohen (April 1, 1862 – June 1, 1927) was an American businessman who served as president and CEO of Cohen Brothers department store in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

. He was nicknamed "Wanamaker of the South" after John Wanamaker the proprietor of Wanamaker's department store.

Biography

Cohen was born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family on April 1, 1862, in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the youngest of eight children of Rae (née Heyman) and Elias Cohen. His family was originally from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

but soon returned to Berlin and opened a general merchandise store. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, the family immigrated to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where they opened ''Cohen Brothers'', a company dedicated to the import of dry goods (textiles, clothing, and sundries). In 1867, two of his brothers, Morris and Samuel visited

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, which was still recovering from the Civil War and recognized the pent-up demand for dry goods. In 1867, they moved the family business to Jacksonville which then had a mere 4,000 residents. Cohen attended public schools in New York City and then joined his brothers (along with a third brother Julius ) in Jacksonville in 1875 which had grown to 7,000 residents. In 1880, Jacob assumed control of the store after his brother Samuel moved to New York City to work as a purchasing agent and Morris moved to England where he became engaged in the lace business. Jacob established a "one-price" policy with fixed price tags where there was no negotiating involved, an unusual practice at the time. In 1890, the population increased to 17,000 and Cohen moved the business into the ''Gardner Building'', Jacksonville's first skyscraper and Florida's tallest building. In 1891, Julius died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

. In 1901, Jacksonville burned to the ground and Cohen built a 300,000 square foot store on the site of the burned down St. James Hotel designed by Architect Henry John Klutho promising that the building would be "institution for the people."Wood, Wayne.
St. James Building
. Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage. Retrieved on July 27, 2010. Under Cohen's tutelage, ''Cohen Brothers'' became Florida's largest department store. In 1958,

The May Department Stores Company The May Department Stores Company was an American holding company of department stores founded in 1877 by David May. It operated several regional department stores throughout the United States, which were managed as distinct business divisions ...

acquired the Cohen Brothers Department Store turning it into the May Cohens chain.

Personal life

In 1887, Cohen married Hattie Halle; they had five children: Edna (1888); Halle (1893); Rae (1895); Hazel (1897); and Minna Cohen Seitner (1899). Cohen died on June 1, 1927.Obituary, Tampa Tribune,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Jacob Elias 1862 births 1927 deaths 19th-century American Jews Businesspeople from Jacksonville, Florida American company founders American retail chief executives Irish emigrants to Germany American people of German-Jewish descent Jews from Florida Businesspeople from Dublin (city) German emigrants to the United States