- Great American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century
Ward Melville
Melville Corporation
1922 - 1963
Retail
| Military Service | Army |
|---|
b. 1887
| Education |  |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | Columbia University |
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Born-Died | 1887 - 1977 |
| Birthplace | New York (NY) |
| Race | White |
| Father | Head, Same Company |
After mass-producing shoes for soldiers in World War I, Melville and an associate opened Thom McAn’s in New York as a low cost, high quality shoe retailer. The chain eventually encompassed over 1,200 stores. With Thom McAn’s as its anchor retail establishment, Melville went on to build a retail conglomerate focused on shoes and apparel.