Background
David May was born to a Jewish family in Kaiserlautern, Bavaria, Germany.
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David May
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In 1854, he immigrated with his family to the United States settling in Cincinnati where he graduated from business school.
Career
In 1887, he purchased another store in Denver, Colorado partnering with brothers-in-law Joseph and Louis Shoenberg (the Shoenbergs would later change their name to Beaumont). In 1888, he sold the Leadville store to Meyers Harris. In 1892, he expanded out of Colorado and purchased the "The Famous Clothing Store" in Saint Louis, Missouri and in 1898, he purchased another store in Cleveland, Ohio which he renamed the "May Company." In 1905, he moved the business headquarters to Saint Louis.
In 1910, the business was incorporated as "The May Department Stores Company" and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in 1911.
Also in 1911, he bought the William Bar Dry Goods Company in Saint Louis and merged it with The Famous Clothing Store renaming the new entity, Famous-Barrister He continued to expand purchasing the M. O’Neil Department Store in Akron, Ohio in 1912 and A. Hamburger & Sons in Los Angeles in 1923.
May Company went on to become one of the largest department store chains in the United States through organic growth and acquisitions. Some of the chains acquired included: Bernheim-Leader in Baltimore, Maryland, Kaufmann"s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Daniels & Fisher Stores Company in Denver, Colorado.
Hecht"s in Baltimore, Maryland.
G. Fox & Company in Hartford, Connecticut. And Meier & Frank in Portland, Oregon.
