Field, Marshall

Marshall (1836-1906), an American merchant. He was born in Conway, Massachusetts. He had experience as clerk in a dry goods store at Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He came to Chicago as a clerk when the city had 50,000 people. In 1865 he organized a new retail dry goods store, which in 1881 took the name of Marshall Field and Company. Mr. field was very successful as a business man. He made it a rule never to borrow money, never to give his note. His house lost in the Chicago fire of 1871 but was rebuilt at once. The new retail store of the firm occupies an entire square, and is twelve stories high. During his lifetime, Mr.Field gave the city a million dollars for the Columbian Museum. He gave the University of Chicago land and other property valued at half a million. Such money as could be spared from his dry goods business, Mr. Field invested in real estate, United States Steel, Chicago & Northwestern Railway, Pullman Car stock, etc. In point of wealth, he was the third richest American. He was surpassed only by Rockefeller and Carnegie. At his death he left an estate valued at from $120,000,000 to $200,000,000, the greater part of which passed to a grandchild, still a schoolboy.