View source for John Wanamaker

{{Short description|US Postmaster General and merchant (1838–1922)}}
{{for|his department store|Wanamaker's}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name        = John Wanamaker
|image       = John Wanamaker.jpg
|caption     = Wanamaker in July 1915
|office      = 35th [[United States Postmaster General]]
|president   = [[Benjamin Harrison]]
|party       = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|term_start  = March 5, 1889
|term_end    = March 4, 1893
|predecessor = [[Donald M. Dickinson]]
|successor   = [[Wilson S. Bissell]]
|birth_date  = {{birth date|1838|7|11}}
|birth_place = [[Grays Ferry, Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S.
|death_date  = {{death date and age|1922|12|12|1838|7|11}}
|death_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
|restingplace = [[Church of St. James the Less, Philadelphia|Church of St. James the Less]] in [[Philadelphia]]
|spouse      = Mary Erringer Brown
|children    = 6, including [[Rodman Wanamaker|Rodman]] and [[Mary Brown Wanamaker|Minnie]]
|signature   = Signature of John Wanamaker.jpg
}}
[[File:John Wanamaker, 1890.jpg|thumb|Wanamaker, {{circa}}1890]]
'''John Wanamaker''' (July 11, 1838{{spaced ndash}}December 12, 1922) was an American merchant and religious, civic and political figure, considered by some to be a proponent of advertising and a "pioneer in marketing".<ref>[[Jeffrey A. Tucker|Tucker, Jeffrey]] (April 1, 2011) [https://mises.org/daily/5171/Whats-a-Job-Good-For What's a Job Good For?], [[Mises Institute]]</ref> He served as [[United States Postmaster General]] in the [[Presidency of Benjamin Harrison|Benjamin Harrison administration]] from 1889 to 1893.

==Early life and education==
Wanamaker was born in the [[Grays Ferry, Philadelphia|Grays Ferry]] section of [[South Philadelphia]] on July 11, 1838<!--Pennsylvania has had very little land that is truly unincorporated; was this Moyamensing Township?-->.<ref name="pabook">{{cite web | url=http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Wanamaker__John.html | title=Wanamaker, John | publisher=pabook.libraries.psu.edu | work=Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of Pennsylvania | access-date=December 3, 2012 | author=Maxin, Halley C. | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501113915/http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Wanamaker__John.html | archive-date=May 1, 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref> to John Nelson Wanamaker, a brickmaker and native of [[Kingwood, New Jersey]], and Elizabeth Deshong Kochersperger, daughter of a farmer and innkeeper in Gray's Ferry.

His mother's ancestors came from [[Rittershoffen]] in [[Alsace]], France, and from [[Canton of Bern]] in Switzerland.<ref name="contamerbio">{{cite book | title=Contemporary American Biography: Biographical Sketches of Representative Men of the Day : Representatives of Modern Thought and Progress, of the Pulpit, the Press, the Bench and Bar, of Legislation, Invention and the Great Industrial Interests of the Country, Volume 1, Part 2 | publisher=Atlantic Publishing and Engraving Company | year=1895 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=62MfAQAAMAAJ&q=Elizabeth+Kochersperger+wanamaker&pg=PA362}}</ref>

==Career==
At the age of 19, Wanamaker was hired by the Philadelphia [[YMCA]], and served as the first corresponding secretary in the YMCA national organization.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pridenet.springfield.edu/ics/ExtPages/YMCA/View_Inductee.aspx?MemNo=239|title=YMCA Hall of Fame|website=pridenet.springfield.edu|access-date=March 19, 2020}}</ref>

===Department store business===
{{Main|Wanamaker's}}
[[File:City Hall and John Wanamakers, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.A, by Kilburn, B. W. (Benjamin West), 1827-1909.jpg|thumb|An illustration of [[Philadelphia City Hall]] and John Wanamaker's "Grand Depot" at 13th and [[Market Street (Philadelphia)|Market]] Streets in [[Philadelphia]]]]
[[File:INTERIOR COURT - John Wanamaker Store, Thirteenth and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,370-2.tif|thumb|The Grand Court at 13th and Market Streets in Philadelphia]]
[[File:WanamakerBuilding7.JPG|thumb|The Wanamaker building at 13th and Market Streets in November 2013]]
In 1861, Wanamaker opened his first store in partnership with his brother in-law Nathan Brown. The store, called "Oak Hall", was located at 6th and [[Market Street (Philadelphia)|Market]] Streets in [[Philadelphia]], adjacent to the site of the residence and offices of [[George Washington]] during his [[Presidency of George Washington|presidency]].

Oak Hall grew substantially based on Wanamaker's then-revolutionary principle: "One price and goods returnable".

In 1869, he opened his second store at 818 [[Chestnut Street (Philadelphia)|Chestnut Street]], and, capitalizing on his own name due to the untimely death of his brother-in-law and growing reputation, renamed the company John Wanamaker & Co. In 1875, he purchased an abandoned railroad depot and converted it into a large store, called John Wanamaker & Co. "The Grand Depot". ''[[Wanamaker's]]'' is considered the first [[department store]] in Philadelphia.

====Wanamaker Building====
The Wanamaker Building is a large, 12-story granite store in Philadelphia, designed by [[Chicago]] architect [[Daniel H. Burnham]] and completed in 1910. It was dedicated by [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[William Howard Taft]] on December 30, 1911. The store stands on the site of "The Grand Depot", encompassing an entire block at the corner of 13th and [[Market Street (Philadelphia)|Market]] Streets across from [[Philadelphia City Hall]]. The new store, The Wanamaker Building, which still stands today, became a Philadelphia institution. The entire building was initially devoted to the department store and company offices.

The building has remained an integral part of [[Culture of Philadelphia|Philadelphia culture]]. In 2018, the upper office tower was marketed as the Wanamaker Office Building.

==== Grand Court ====
The Wanamaker Building's most notable feature is its seven-story, marble-clad central atrium, known as the "Grand Court". The Grand Court quickly became a Philadelphia favorite, highlighted by the Wanamaker Eagle and the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ.

The Grand Court has been featured in several movies, including ''[[Nasty Habits (film)|Nasty Habits]]'' in 1977, ''[[Mannequin (1987 film)|Mannequin]]'' in 1987, ''[[Blow Out]]'' in 1981, and ''[[12 Monkeys]]'' in 1995.

==== Wanamaker Organ ====
The [[Wanamaker Grand Court Organ]] was designed by [[George Ashdown Audsley]] and built by the [[Los Angeles Art Organ Company]] for the [[1904 St. Louis World's Fair]]. The instrument had 10,059 pipes, and cost $105,000 to construct, equal to ${{Inflation|US|105000|1904|fmt=c|r=-4}} today. Wanamaker bought the organ in 1909 and had it transported from St. Louis aboard 13 freight cars. The organ's installation in Philadelphia took two years. It was played for the first time on June 22, 1911, to coincide with England's [[George V|King George V's]] coronation.

More than 8,000 pipes were added to the organ between 1911 and 1917. By 1930, an additional 10,000 pipes were installed, bringing the total number of pipes today to 28,750. The instrument is of the American Symphonic school of design, intended to combine traditional organ resources with the tone colors and beauty of the symphony orchestra. Once a year, usually in June, "''Wanamaker Organ Day''" is held. This free festival lasts most of the day.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/about.php|title=Facts and Figures about the Wanamaker Organ|date=2017|website=www.wanamakerorgan.com|publisher=Friends of the Wanamaker Organ|access-date=January 30, 2017|archive-date=April 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405000936/http://wanamakerorgan.com/about.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Wanamaker Eagle ====
John Wanamaker purchased a bronze bird sculpture by [[August Gaul]], following the sculpture's exhibition in America in 1904 at the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]]. The {{cvt|2500|lb}} sculpture is a focal point of the store's Grand Court. The sculpture is placed above a steel beam because of its weight. Known as the "Wanamaker Eagle", it became a famous meeting place and "Meet me at the Eagle" became a popular Philadelphia catchphrase.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visitphilly.com/music-art/philadelphia/eagle/#sm.000056hl5521tf3xsdo17fiunf6ez|title=Eagle|website=Visit Philly|access-date=June 22, 2016|archive-date=February 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218202809/http://www.visitphilly.com/music-art/philadelphia/eagle/#sm.000056hl5521tf3xsdo17fiunf6ez|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==== Christmas Light Show ====
In November 1955, the store tapped lighting designer, Frederick Yost, to create seasonal displays. Yost designed the "Holiday Light Show" for the Grand Court, creating a more-contemporary display than previous years. Since then, the light show has become an annual tradition for generations of Philadelphians. In the 21st century, the light show has been modernized, but has retained the look and feel of the original. Since 2006, the "Macy's Dickens Village" has been located on the store's third floor, continuing a Christmas tradition that had begun at [[Strawbridge's]] in 1985.<ref name=":0" />

====Expansion====
Wanamaker expanded to [[New York City]] in 1896, continuing a mercantile business originally started by [[Alexander Turney Stewart]]. He expanded internationally with the Wanamaker European import houses in London and Paris.

Wanamaker was an innovator, creative in his work, a merchandising genius, and proponent of the power of advertising, though modest and with an enduring reputation for honesty.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} Although he did not invent the [[fixed price]] system, he is credited for the creation of the price tag;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/wanamaker_hi.html|title=Who Made America? - Innovators - John Wanamaker|website=[[PBS]]}}</ref> he popularized it as the industry standard. He also started the "money-back guarantee" that is now standard business practice.

He provided his employees with free medical care, education, recreational facilities, pensions and profit-sharing plans before such benefits were considered standard.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} Labor activists, however, knew him as a fierce opponent of unionization.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} During an 1887 organizing drive by the [[Knights of Labor]], he fired the first twelve union members who were discovered by his detectives.<ref>Goldberg, Judith Lazarus. ''Strikes, Organizing, and Change: The Knights of Labor in Philadelphia 1869-1890'' (PhD, NY University 1985), pp. 342-3</ref>

Wanamaker was the first retailer to place a half-page newspaper ad (1874) and the first full-page ad (1879).<ref name="Joel2004">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l3eym0t6snYC&pg=PA53|title=The Gilded Age|date=June 30, 2004|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-06221-6|page=53|first=Joel|last=Shrock|access-date=November 24, 2012}}</ref> He initially wrote his own [[copywriting|ad copy]], but later hired the world's first full-time copywriter [[John Emory Powers]]. During Powers's tenure, Wanamaker's revenues doubled from $4 million to $8 million.<ref name="Stephen1984">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QlVB6ARdT7kC&pg=PA25|title=The Mirror Makers: A History of American Advertising & Its Creators|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=1984|isbn=978-0-252-06659-7|pages=25–28|first=Stephen R.|last=Fox|access-date=November 23, 2012}}</ref> Wanamaker supposedly said "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half."

==Postmaster General==
In 1889, Wanamaker began the First Penny Savings Bank in order to encourage thrift. The same year, he was appointed [[United States Postmaster General]] by President [[Benjamin Harrison]]; he was accused by the newspapers of the day of buying the post.<ref>Fuller, Wayne E. (1964). ''RFD: The Changing Face of Rural America''. pg. 20</ref> Wanamaker was credited by his friends with introducing the first [[commemorative stamp]] and many efficiencies to the [[United States Post Office Department|Postal Service]]. He was the first to make plans for [[Rural Letter Carrier|free rural postal service]] in the United States, although the plan was not implemented until 1896.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usps.com/history/his2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309180248/http://www.usps.com/history/his2.htm|title=History of the United States Postal Service 1775-1993|archive-date=March 9, 2008}}</ref>

In 1890, Wanamaker persuaded Congress to pass an act prohibiting the sale of lottery tickets through the mail, and then he aggressively pursued violators.<ref>Ershkowitz, Herbert (1998). ''John Wanamaker: Philadelphia Merchant''. Da Capo Press, p.30 {{ISBN|1-58097-004-4}}</ref> Those actions effectively ended all state lotteries in the US until they reappeared in 1964, partly as an effort to undermine organized crime.

Wanamaker's tenure at the Post Office was riddled with controversy. He fired some 30,000 postal workers under the then common "[[spoils system]]" during his four-year term, as it was customary for a change in political administrations to lead to new appointments for their own supporters.{{citation needed |date=July 2025}} The changeover of so many employees caused severe confusion, inefficiency, and a run-in with civil-service crusader [[Theodore Roosevelt]], a fellow Republican.

In 1890, Wanamaker commissioned a series of stamps that were derided in the national media as the poorest quality stamps ever issued, both for printing quality and materials.  When his department store ordered advance copies of the newly translated novel ''[[The Kreutzer Sonata]]'' by [[Leo Tolstoy]], the deadline was missed, and only the regular discount was offered by the publisher. He retaliated by banning the book from the US Mail on grounds of obscenity.

He was ridiculed for this action by many major U.S. newspapers. In 1891, he ordered changes in the uniforms of letter carriers, and was accused of arranging for all the uniforms to be ordered from a single firm in Baltimore, to which he was believed to have financial ties.<ref>"John's Miserable Stamps", ''The New York Times'', August 10, 1890, p.14; "Wanamaker's Latest Crime", ''Boston Globe'', August 1, 1890; Political Career of John Wanamaker" Justice (Wilmington, DE), February 19, 1898 p. 1; "A Little 'Job' in Clothes," ''The New York Times'', July 5, 1891, p. 2</ref> In 1893 he made a public prediction at the [[World's Columbian Exposition|Chicago World's Fair]] that U.S. mail would still rely on [[stagecoach]] and horseback delivery for a century to come, failing to anticipate the effects of trains, the [[automobile]], and related truck vehicles.<ref name=POTF>{{cite book|last=Kaku|first=Michio|title=Physics of the Future|year=2011|publisher=Doubleday|location=New York|isbn=978-0-385-53080-4|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134600339/no-flying-car-but-how-about-an-invisibility-cloak}}</ref>

During [[World War I]], Wanamaker publicly proposed that the United States buy [[Belgium]] from [[German Empire|Germany]] for the sum of one-hundred billion dollars, as an alternative to the continuing carnage of the war.<ref>"Repeats Suggestion That We Buy Belgium," ''The New York Times'', June 24, 1915, p. 4</ref>

Wanamaker was a [[United States Electoral College|presidential elector]] in the [[1888 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|1888]] and [[1920 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|1920 presidential elections]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Index to Politicians: Waltrip to Warburton |url=https://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/walworth-warburton.html#033.74.44 |access-date=2022-08-20 |website=[[The Political Graveyard]]}}</ref>

Wanamaker was the last surviving member of President Benjamin Harrison's cabinet.{{citation needed |date=February 2024}}

== Philanthropy ==
Wanamaker was known for his philanthropy to programs to aid the poor in Philadelphia.  He co-founded Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, a [[homeless shelter]] and soup kitchen, in 1878.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ul2nQ7bdBP8C&q=SBRM|title=The Newer Deal: Social Work and Religion in Partnership|last2=Wineburg|first2=Robert J.|last3=Boddie|first3=Stephanie C.|date=1999|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-11624-4|edition=First|location=New York|page=265|last1=Cnaan|first1=Ram A.|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref> The Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission has since expanded to provide more services and still supports the homeless population of Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sundaybreakfast.org/|title=Sunday Breakfast|website=Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>

He was an avid collector of art and antiquities. He made several donations to the [[University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2012/10/23/mummies-mannequins-and-wanamakers/|title=Conserving Egyptian Mummies: Mummies, Mannequins and Wanamaker's|website=Artifact Lab|publisher=Penn Museum|first=Molly|last=Gleeson|date=October 23, 2012 }}</ref>

Among the donations was a collection of bronze reproductions of artifacts uncovered from the ruins of [[Pompeii]] and [[Herculaneum]], known as the Wanamaker Bronzes, which Wanamaker had commissioned by the Chiurazzi Foundry in [[Naples]] for the museum.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.penn.museum/collections/object/190640|title=Statue, Reproduction|website=Penn Museum|access-date=June 22, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=S. Chiurazzi & Fils Naples Italy Bronze Foundry. Reproductions of the Bronzes Found at Pompei and Herculaneaum and at Present in the National Museum in Naples. The Collection of Bronzes Made Upon the Order of John Wanamaker of Philadelphia for the Archaeology Museum of the University of Pennsylvania.|date=1904|last1=S. Chiurazzi & Fils}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1860, Wanamaker married Mary Erringer Brown.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mrs. J. Wanamaker Dies In 81st Year; Merchant's Wife Succumbs to Pneumonia at Atlantic City After Long Illness. Children at Her Bedside. Sister of Husband's First Partner Lived a Retired Life, with Interests Centred in Home and Family |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/08/21/archives/mrs-j-wanamaker-dies-in-81st-year-merchants-wife-succumbs-to.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=August 21, 1920 |access-date=May 27, 2011 }}</ref>

They had six children, two of whom died in childhood:
* Thomas Brown Wanamaker (1862–1908), who married Mary Lowber Welch (1864–1929)
* Lewis [[Rodman Wanamaker]] (1863–1928), who married Fernanda de Henry and Violet Cruger
* Horace Wanamaker (born 1864), died in infancy during the [[American Civil War]]
* Harriett E. "Nettie" Wanamaker (1865–1870)
* [[Mary Brown Wanamaker|Mary Brown "Minnie" Wanamaker]] (1869–1954), who married [[Barclay Harding Warburton I|Barclay Harding Warburton]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/11/18/archives/-mrs-barclay-h-warburfon-is-dead-at-85-a-leader-in-welfare-worh-and.html |title= Obituary: Mrs. Barclay H. Warburton Is Dead at 85 - A Leader in Welfare Work and Politics |work=The New York Times |date=November 18, 1954 |access-date=May 14, 2014}}</ref>
* Elizabeth "Lillie" Wanamaker (1876–1927), who married Norman McLeod

In 1899, Wanamaker's son, Thomas, who specialized in store financial matters, purchased ''[[The North American]]'', a Philadelphia-based newspaper. He irritated his father by publishing regular columns to radical intellectuals, including [[Henry George, Jr.]], socialist Henry John Nelson,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://margins.fair-use.org/note/Henry_John_Nelson |title=Henry John Nelson - Notes from the Margins |website=margins.fair-use.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726045356/http://margins.fair-use.org/note/Henry_John_Nelson |archive-date=July 26, 2011}}</ref> who later became [[Emma Goldman]]'s lawyer, and socialist Caroline H. Pemberton. The younger Wanamaker also began publishing a Sunday edition, which offended his father's sense of keeping the Sabbath holy.

His younger son [[Rodman Wanamaker|Rodman]], a [[Princeton University]] graduate, lived in France early in his career. He is credited with creating a demand for French luxury goods in Philadelphia and the United States that persists to this day. Rodman was credited with the artistic quality that gave the Wanamaker stores their cachet. He was also a patron of fine music, organizing spectacular organ and orchestra concerts in the Wanamaker Philadelphia and New York City stores under music director Alexander Russell.

==Death==
[[File:Wanamaker family tomb at Philadelphia churchyard of St.jpg|thumb|The Wanamaker family tomb in the churchyard of the [[Church of St. James the Less, Philadelphia|Church of St. James the Less]] in [[Philadelphia]]]]
Wanamaker died on December 12, 1922.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death Overtakes John Wanamaker. Had Suffered From A Heavy Cold |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=LeRiAAAAIBAJ&pg=1213,3330147&dq=john+wanamaker&hl=en |quote=The world famous merchant and former postmaster general passed away at his town house., 2023 Walnut street. He had been confined there since early in ... |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 12, 1922 |access-date=May 27, 2011 }}</ref> His funeral was on December 14, 1922, with a service at the Bethany Presbyterian Church.<ref>{{cite news |title=Wanamaker Buried With High Tributes. Mayors Hylan And Moore And Other Officials Attend Philadelphia Services. Thousands At The Church. Honors Paid As Cortege Passes. Stores And Schools Suspend. Flowers From Employees |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/12/15/archives/wanamaker-buried-with-high-tributes-mayors-hylan-and-moore-and.html |quote=John Wanamaker was buried this afternoon after services in Bethany Presbyterian Church, Twenty-second and Bainbridge streets, attended by a throng of prominent men and women whose presence showed the honor in which he was held as a merchant, philanthropist and citizen. |work=The New York Times |date=December 15, 1922 |access-date=November 6, 2023}}</ref>  He was interred in the Wanamaker family tomb in the churchyard of the [[Church of St. James the Less, Philadelphia|Church of St. James the Less]] in [[Philadelphia]].

At his death, his estate was estimated to be US$100 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|100000000|1922}}}} today), divided equally among his three living children and granddaughters, Mary "Minnie" Wanamaker Warburton (Mrs. Barclay Warburton), Patricia "Paddy" W. Estelle, and Elizabeth Wanamaker McLeod, who all received substantial stock, real estate and cash instruments. Second son [[Rodman Wanamaker|Rodman]] was made sole inheritor of the store businesses.

Rodman Wanamaker died in 1928, leaving the businesses with a documented worth of $36.7 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|35000000|1922}}}} today) in a trust. Rodman is credited with founding the [[Professional Golfers' Association of America]] and the [[Millrose Games]].

The senior Wanamaker's first son, Thomas B. Wanamaker, died in Paris in 1908.<ref>{{cite news | title = Thomas B. Wanamaker dead | date = March 3, 1908 | url = https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1908/03/03/105003683.pdf | work = The New York Times | access-date = August 21, 2010 | quote = Son of ex-Postmaster General passes away in Paris hotel}}</ref>

==Legacy==
[[File:Statue (Reproduction) of Seated Hermes.jpg|thumb|A statue reproduction of Seated Hermes commissioned by Wanamaker on display in the [[Penn Museum]]]]
His country estate, Lindenhurst mansion in [[Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania]], was located on York Road below Washington Lane at ({{coord|40.0853|N|75.1311|W}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ho_display.cfm/828901|title=Lindenhurst|website=Philadelphia Architects and Buildings}}</ref> The original mansion was designed by architect [[Edward Sargent (architect)|E. A. Sargent]] of New York City. President Harrison visited Wanamaker at the Lindenhurst mansion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/09/06/archives/at-the-old-log-college-the-cradle-of-presbyterianism-in-america.html |title=At the Old Log College – The Cradle of Presbyterianism in America |page=1 |work=The New York Times |date=September 6, 1889}}</ref>

A neoclassic mansion was constructed when the original Victorian Lindenhurst burned in 1907, destroying much of Wanamaker's art collection. A railroad station, Chelten Hills located below [[Jenkintown–Wyncote (SEPTA station)|Jenkintown]], and no longer in existence, was constructed on the property in addition to his vast mansion. Part of the former estate became the campus of [[Salus University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.livingplaces.com/PA/Montgomery_County/Cheltenham_Township.html|title=Cheltenham Township}}</ref>

A family trust owned the Wanamaker's store chain, run by a trustee system set up by Rodman Wanamaker's will. In 1978, the business was sold to [[Carter Hawley Hale Stores|Carter Hawley Hale, Inc.]] The 15-store chain was sold to [[Woodward & Lothrop]] in 1986, and the downtown store was renamed as [[Lord & Taylor]]. Woodies declared bankruptcy in 1994, and with it went the Wanamaker stores, which were sold to [[May Department Stores Company]] on June 21, 1995. In August 2006 the flagship Philadelphia store was converted from a [[Lord & Taylor]] to a [[Macy's]].

* Bronze busts honoring Wanamaker and other industry magnates stand between the [[Chicago River]] and the [[Merchandise Mart]] in downtown Chicago, Illinois.
* A popular saying illustrating how difficult it was to quantify the response to advertising is attributed to Wanamaker: "''Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.''"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1992.html|title=Quote Details: John Wanamaker: Half the money I... - The Quotations Page|work=The Quotations Page}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=citation is website claiming the quote attributed from a "This collection started in a recipe box at Laura's place of employment in 1996, and has grown to include over 2500 quotations.", there must be more reliable sources|date=March 2015}} See [[John Emory Powers]]
* Beginning in 1908, Wanamaker financed [[Anna Jarvis]]'s campaign to have a national [[Mother's Day (United States)|Mother's Day]] holiday officially recognized. On May 8, 1914, the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as [[Mother's Day]], which also later became an international holiday. A dedicated Pennsylvania historic marker honoring Jarvis and Wanamaker is located at [[Philadelphia City Hall]], across the street from Wanamaker's store, where the earliest Mother's Day ceremonies were held.
* Wanamaker's fame was considerable around the world in his heyday.  In the original play ''Pygmalion'' (1912) by [[George Bernard Shaw]], Alfred Doolittle is left a legacy by an American philanthropist millionaire named "Ezra Wanafeller", combining Wanamaker's name with [[John D. Rockefeller]], Sr.
* Wanamaker owned homes in [[Philadelphia]], [[Cape May Point, New Jersey|Cape May Point]] and [[Bay Head, New Jersey|Bay Head]] in [[New Jersey]], New York City, Florida, London, Paris, and [[Biarritz]]. He had a townhouse at 2032 [[Walnut Street (Philadelphia)|Walnut Street]] in Philadelphia, which was designed similar to an English [[manor house]] and held a [[Welte-Mignon#Welte Philharmonic Organ|Welte Philharmonic Organ]].<ref>''[[:de:Liste der Philharmonie-Orgeln von M. Welte & Söhne|Liste der Philharmonie-Orgeln von M. Welte & Söhne und M. Welte & Sons]]''</ref> He died in this residence. The facade of this building is still extant. During the 1980 construction of the new Wanamaker House high rise on the adjacent property on Walnut Street, the facade of the original Wanamaker house was closely monitored to ensure its preservation. This monitoring was performed by the Engineering firm, Boucher and James, Inc. Dale Leonard, professional land surveyor. [[Thomas Edison]], a close friend, was an honorary pallbearer at his funeral (there were 150 of them).
* Wanamaker was instrumental in the foundation of the [[Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades|Williamson College of the Trades (originally, 'Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades')]] in Elwyn, PA. It was named for his friend and mentor, [[Isaiah Vansant Williamson]]. Williamson died in 1889, shortly after he founded the school. Wanamaker was the chairman of the school's first board of trustees, who realized Williamson's vision and planning for the school. The board held a competition for the design of the original campus buildings and selected famed Philadelphia architect, [[Frank Furness]] (''Furness, Evans & Company''). Wanamaker has been memorialized in many ways at the school, most conspicuously in The John Wanamaker Free School of Artisans, which encompasses the instructional trade workshops and is considered the heart of the college. A dormitory, foundations, and groups are also named in his honor. Wanamaker privately wrote a biography of Williamson titled, ''Life of Isaiah V. Williamson,'' which was published posthumously in 1928.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Life_of_Isaiah_V._Williamson|title=Life of Isaiah V. Williamson|last=Wanamaker|first=John|publisher=J. B. Lippincott Company|year=1928|location=Philadelphia & London|pages=Chapter 8|via=wikisource}}</ref>
* Wanamaker was a Pennsylvania Mason. ''The John Wanamaker Masonic Humanitarian Medal''  was created by resolution of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania at the December Quarterly Communication of 1993. The medal, also called "''The Wanamaker Medal''" is to be awarded to a person (male or female) who, being a non-Mason, supports the ideals and philosophy of the [[Freemasonry|Masonic Fraternity]].  At the discretion of the R. W. Grand Master, the medal is awarded to ''one who personifies the high ideals of John Wanamaker–a public spirited citizen, a lover of all people, and devoted to doing good''. The medal has been presented sparingly to maintain the great prestige associated with an award created by resolution of the Pennsylvania Grand Lodge.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pagrandlodge.org/masonic-leadership/honors/|title=The Wanamaker Medal|date=2016 |publisher=PA Masons|access-date=December 31, 2016}}</ref>
* Wanamaker was instrumental in the vision and planning of the [[Benjamin Franklin Parkway]] in [[Philadelphia]].

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Luther Standing Bear]]
* [[Owney (dog)]]
*''[[The Book News Monthly]]''
* [[Timothy Eaton]]
* [[Wanamaker Organ]]
* [[Wanamaker's]] Department Store
* [[1899 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Appel |first=Joseph H. |title=The Business Biography of John Wanamaker: Founder and Builder, America's Merchant Pioneer |publisher=NY: Macmillan Co., 1930 }}
* {{cite book |last=Burt |first=Olive W. |year=1952 |title=John Wanamaker: Boy Merchant |series=Childhood Of Famous Americans Series |publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Company }} (children's biography)
* {{cite book |last=Gibbons |first=Herbert Adams |title=John Wanamaker |publisher=NY: Harper & Brothers, 1926 }}
* {{cite book |title=Wanamaker's: Meet Me at the Eagle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=guEJUnmORDoC|date=2010|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-1-62619-068-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Sobel |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Sobel |title=The Entrepreneurs: Explorations Within the American Business Tradition |location=New York |publisher=Weybright & Talley |year=1974 |chapter=John Wanamaker : The Triumph of Content Over Form |pages=[https://archive.org/details/entrepreneursexp00sobe/page/73 73–109] |isbn=0-679-40064-8 |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/entrepreneursexp00sobe/page/73 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Zulker |first1=William |title=John Wanamaker: King of Merchants |year=1993 |publisher=Eaglecrest Press |isbn=0-9636284-0-2}}

==External links==
{{wikisource|works=or}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.maykuth.com/Archives/wana95.htm John Wanamaker: A retailing innovator]
*[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/wanamaker_hi.html Who Made America? (John Wanamaker, Innovator)]
*[http://www.advertisinghalloffame.org/members/member_bio.php?memid=814 Advertising Hall of Fame]
*[http://wanamakerorgan.com/john.php A Short Life of John Wanamaker] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014181113/http://wanamakerorgan.com/john.php |date=October 14, 2018 }}
*{{Gutenberg author |id=3393| name=John Wanamaker}}
*{{Internet Archive author |sname=John Wanamaker}}
*{{PM20|FID=pe/018088}}
*{{HABS |survey=PA-1578 |id=pa0874 |title=Scott–Wanamaker House, 2032 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA |photos=11 |color=1 |data=1 |cap=1}}

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[[Category:1838 births]]
[[Category:1922 deaths]]
[[Category:Wanamaker family|John]]
[[Category:People from Bay Head, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Cape May Point, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Cheltenham, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:American people of French descent]]
[[Category:American people of Swiss descent]]
[[Category:Pennsylvania Republicans]]
[[Category:1888 United States presidential electors]]
[[Category:1920 United States presidential electors]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:19th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:American businesspeople in retailing]]
[[Category:American retail company founders]]
[[Category:United States postmasters general]]
[[Category:Benjamin Harrison administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Burials at the Church of St. James the Less]]