Sigmund Eisner (February 14, 1859 – January 5, 1925) was an Austrian-American businessman. He was the president of the Sigmund Eisner Company based in

Red Bank, New Jersey Red Bank is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Incorporated in 1908, the community is on the Navesink River, the area's original transportation route to the ocean and other ports. Red Bank is in the New York metro ...

. At one time (1922), this company was the exclusive manufacturer of uniforms for the

Boy Scouts of America Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...

and the largest manufacturer of uniforms in the United States. He is also the great-grandfather of

Michael Eisner Michael Dammann Eisner ( ; born March 7, 1942) is an American businessman and former chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from September 1984 to September 2005. Prior to Disney, Eisner was president of rival film ...

, who was

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 ...

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

from 1984 to 2005.

Early life

Sigmund Eisner was born in Bohemia 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 and was educated in public schools there. At the age of 21, he immigrated to the United States and founded the Sigmund Eisner Company.

Sigmund Eisner Company

The Sigmund Eisner Company started with only a few garments, but specialized in uniforms. With a central factory in Red Bank, New Jersey, branches were established in nearby towns Long Branch,

South Amboy South Amboy is a city in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located on Raritan Bay. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 9,411, an increase of 780 (+9.0%) from the 2010 census count of 8,631, which in ...

, and

Freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England *Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

. As of 1922, the company had 2,000 employees, but 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 ...

the company’s roles swelled to 5,000 as the company handled contracts for the United States government as well as several foreign governments. Eisner's family was also involved in the company. As of 1922, Eisner's sons H. Raymond and A. Victor were first and second vice-presidents, respectively.

Red Bank

Sigmund Eisner (and his family) took great interest in civic and social affairs. Sigmund was governor of the Monmouth Memorial Hospital and the State Home for Boys at

Jamesburg, New Jersey Jamesburg is a borough in Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 5,783, a decrease of 132 (−2.2%) from the 2010 census count of 5,915, which in turn reflected a d ...

. He was vice-president of the Red Cross of Monmouth County and water commissioner of Red Bank. Eisner was a member of the

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a civil rights group and Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the wi ...

, the Jewish Welfare Board of America, and the Zionist Committee of America. His personal interests led him to membership in the

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, Ancient Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE), commonly known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks, is an American fraternal order and charitable organization founded in 1868 in New York City. Originally established as a social club for m ...

; and the Monmouth County Boat Club.

Family

Sigmund married Bertha Weis and they had four sons: H. Raymond, J. Lester, Monroe, and A. Victor. H. Raymond, the eldest son, was born in Red Bank and attended the local public schools until he went on to attend the

Phillips Exeter Academy Phillips Exeter Academy (often called Exeter or PEA) is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Exeter, New Hampshire. Established in 1781, it is America's sixth-oldest boarding school and educates an es ...

, from which he graduated in 1906. Following his graduation, he studied at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and graduated in 1909. Before becoming a vice-president at his father’s company, he attended the Philadelphia Textile School for a one-year course. H. Raymond married Elsie Solomon in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

on February 12, 1911. J. Lester, the second son, was also born in

. He also took his preparatory course at Phillips Exeter and graduated from Harvard in 1911. J. Lester married Marguerite Davidson on January 13, 1913. Disney CEO

is one of their grandchildren. Monroe Eisner, the third son, was also born in Red Bank, graduating from Phillips Exeter in 1910 and Harvard in 1914. He subsequently attended

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

, graduating in 1915. During his studies he was active with the Everett Mills in Everett Massachusetts where he studied fabrics. In 1916 he returned to Red Bank to work at the family factory. Monroe married (in New York City) Winone Jackson on September 11, 1916. The youngest son, A. Victor (born December 11, 1894) studied at

Washington and Jefferson College Washington & Jefferson College (W&J College or W&J) is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origin to three Presbyterian missionaries in the 1780s: John McMillan, Thaddeus Dod, and ...

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington, also known as Little Washington to distinguish it from the District of Columbia, is a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 13,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...

. At the conclusion of his studies, be entered the family business as second vice-president. A. Victor married Helene Monsky in September 1918.

References

*''History of Monmouth County, New Jersey 1664–1920'', Volume II, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1922, pgs. 99–101. *''Scannell's New Jersey’s First Citizens: 1917–1918'', Vol. I, Paterson, NJ, pgs. 157–158. {{DEFAULTSORT:Eisner, Sigmund 1859 births 1925 deaths People from Red Bank, New Jersey American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Austrian Jews Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States Jews from Austria-Hungary People from Horažďovice