Edgar E. Rand (c. 1905 – October 26, 1955) was an American heir, business executive and philanthropist. He served as the President of the International Shoe Company from 1950 to 1955.
Edgar E. Rand | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1905 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | October 26, 1955 (aged 49–50) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Bellefontaine Cemetery |
| Education | Webb School |
| Alma mater | Vanderbilt University |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse | Sarah Frances Moore (divorced) |
| Parent(s) | Frank C. Rand Nettie Hale |
| Relatives | Philip Henry Hale (maternal grandfather) Oscar Johnson (paternal uncle) Henry Hale Rand (brother) William R. Orthwein, Jr. (brother-in-law) J. Washington Moore (father-in-law) |
Early life edit
Rand was born c. 1905 in St. Louis, Missouri.[1][2] His father, Frank Chambless Rand, served as the President of the International Shoe Company. His mother was Nettie Hale, the daughter of British-born Texas rancher, publisher and composer Philip Henry Hale.
Rand was educated in public schools.[2] He went to Webb School, a prep school in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.[2] Rand traveled in Europe and studied in Lausanne, Switzerland from 1922 to 1923.[1][2] He returned to the United States and enrolled at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1923, graduating in 1927.[1][2]
Career edit
Rand started his career at the International Shoe Company in 1927.[1] He initially worked at their plant in Sikeston, Missouri.[2] In 1939, he was elected to their Board of Directors.[2]
At the outset of World War II, Rand joined the Office of Price Administration and the War Production Board, where he worked until 1944.[1] From 1945 to 1946, he was an assistant to Democratic Senator Stuart Symington, the head of the War Assets Administration.[1]
Rand returned to the International Shoe Company in 1947.[1] He served as its Vice President from 1947 to 1950, and as its President from 1950 to 1955.[1] In his first year as President, in 1950, he was forced to raise all prices up 10% for women's and children's shoes and up 20% for men's shoes due to the higher cost of raw materials.[3] Meanwhile, in 1953, he decided to close down their plant in St. Charles, Missouri, and restructure their operations in Flora, Illinois, Windsor, Missouri, and Kirksville, Missouri.[4] However, that same year, the company sales had gone up by 22% under his leadership.[5] That same year, he opened a new plant in Bryan, Texas.[6] A year later, the company acquired Savage Shoes Limited, a Canadian shoe manufacturer, in 1954.[7] However, by 1955, members of the United Shoe Workers of America and the Boot and Shoe Workers of America, two labor unions, were striking against the company, demanding a 12% wage increase.[8]
Philanthropy edit
Rand served on the board of trustees of the Barnes Hospital in St. Louis.[1] Additionally, he served on the board of trust of his alma mater, Vanderbilt University.[1]
Personal life edit
Rand married Sarah Frances Moore,[9] the daughter of politician J. Washington Moore.[10] They had three daughters: Mrs. Owen H. Mitchell, Jr., Mrs Donald S. Wohltman, and Miss Helen O. Rand.[9] Rand and Moore divorced in 1951.[9][10]
Death and legacy edit
Rand died of a heart attack on October 26, 1955, while staying at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois.[1][11] His funeral took place at St. John's Methodist Church, and he was buried at the Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri.[12]
At the time of his death, he was worth US$2,523,854.[13][14] In his will, he bequeathed his estate to his three daughters via trusts.[13][9] Meanwhile, his brother Henry Hale Rand served as the President of the International Shoe Company from 1955 to 1962.[15]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Edgar E. Rand, Shoe Company President, Dies". Mt. Vernon Register-News (Mount Vernon, Illinois). October 26, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Head of International Shoe Company Dies From Heart Attack". The Daily Standard (Sikeston, Illinois). October 27, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Shoe Company Raises Prices". Mt Vernon Register-News (Mt Vernon, Illinois). July 24, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "International To Close Shoe Plant At St. Charles". Mt Vernon Register-News (Mt Vernon, Illinois). August 10, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "International Shoe Sales 22% Higher Since Last October". Moberly Monitor-Index (Moberly, Missouri). February 25, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Multi-Million Dollar Plant". The Eagle (Bryan, Texas). January 13, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "International Shoe Co. Buys Big Canadian Firm". Mt. Vernon Register-News (Mount Vernon, Illinois). September 27, 1954. p. 3. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Strike Called By Shoe Workers: Walkout By 19,000 International Co. Employees Set For Monday". Joplin Globe (Joplin, Missouri). November 6, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Shoe Company Head Leaves Million to Three Daughters". The Daily Standard (Sikeston, Missouri). November 3, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Lady Indignant on Indignities". Kingsport News. Kingsport, Tennessee. June 21, 1951. p. 7. Retrieved January 7, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deaths Last Night". The Bee (Danville, Virginia). October 27, 1955. p. 26. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Rites For Shoe Firm Head Set". Dixon Evening Telegraph (Dixon, Illinois). October 27, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Estate of 2 1/2 Million.: Inventory Filed On Holdings of Edgar E. Rand". The Kansas City Times. December 10, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Names In The News". The Ogden Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah). December 10, 1955. p. 7. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "International Shoe Co. President Dies". The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune. January 18, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved August 25, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
