Origins & Early Life

Levi Strauss ( LEE-vy STROWSS; born Löb Strauß, German: [løːp ˈʃtʁaʊs]; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm of Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 in San Francisco, California. Levi Strauss was born to a Jewish family in Buttenheim on February 26, 1829, in the Franconia region of the Kingdom of Bavaria in the German Confederation.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He was the son of Hirsch Strauss and Hirsch's second wife, Rebecca Strauss (née Haas). In 1847, aged 18, Strauss travelled with his mother and two sisters to the United States to join his brothers Jonas and Louis, who had begun a wholesale dry goods business in New York City called J. Strauss Brother & Co., at 108 Liberty Street in Manhattan. After arriving in New York, Strauss worked as an itinerant peddler of goods from his brother's store: kettles, blankets and sewing goods. Levi's sister Fanny and her husband David Stern moved to St.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Louis, Missouri, while Levi went to live in Louisville, Kentucky, and sold his brothers' supplies there. Levi became an American citizen in January 1853. The family decided...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Charles Bourseul — Contemporary (Born in 1829) (1829): French inventor, pioneer of the 'make and break' telephone decades before Bell.
• Dominique-Vincent Ramel-Nogaret — Contemporary (Died in 1829) (1829): French lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Finance under the Directory.
• Humphry Davy — Contemporary (Died in 1829) (1829): Pioneering chemist who established electrochemistry and isolated key elements.
• Alfred Kastler — Contemporary (Born in 1902) (1902): Pioneering physicist known for developing the technique of optical pumping.
• Allen Lane — Contemporary (Born in 1902) (1902): Pioneering British publisher who founded Penguin Books, bringing literature to the masses.
• Ansel Adams — Contemporary (Born in 1902) (1902): Iconic photographer and environmentalist celebrated for the American West's landscapes.
• Arsène Houssaye — Shared historical date (02-26 · Died) (1896): French novelist, poet, and man of letters, active from the 1830s to the 1890s.
• Edward G. Robinson Jr. — Shared historical date (02-26 · Died) (1974): American actor known for roles in films like Some Like It Hot and TV series.
• Béla Bartók — Shared historical date (09-26 · Died) (1945): Pioneering Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist of the 20th century.
• Bessie Smith — Shared historical date (09-26 · Died) (1937): The "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith dominated the sound of the 1930s.
• 1829 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1829
• February 26 (02-26) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on February 26
• 1902 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1902
• September 26 (09-26) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on September 26