Aaron Montgomery Ward (February 17, 1843 – December 7, 1913) was an American entrepreneur based in Chicago who made his fortune through the use of mail order for retail sales of general merchandise to rural customers. In 1872 he founded Montgomery Ward & Company, which became nationally known.

Ward, a young traveling salesman of dry goods, was concerned over the plight of many rural Midwest Americans who were, he thought, being overcharged and under-served by many of the small town retailers on whom they had to rely for their general merchandise. He opened his first mail-order house in 1872. By heavy use of the railroads centered on Chicago, and by associating his business with the non-profit Patrons of Husbandry (the Grangers), Ward offered rural customers a far larger stock than generally available in small towns and at a lower price. Unlike local country merchants, Ward offered no bargaining and no credit. His free catalog, printed by the most modern methods, was widely mailed to customers, allowing them to see pictures of consumer goods and imagine how they might be used. Later, Ward used the Post Office's Rural Free Delivery service; he lobbied for a parcel post system that came about in 1906. The early 20th century was the heyday of mail orders and Ward's had become an American tradition, along with its rival Sears Roebuck.

Ward continues to be honored as the protector of Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois. in Chatham Borough, New Jersey. to a large family with a modest income. When he was about 9 years old, his father Sylvester Ward moved the family to Niles, Michigan, where Montgomery

Public life: the fight for Grant Park

In civic life in Chicago, Ward fought for the poor people's access to Chicago's lakefront. In 1906 he campaigned to preserve Grant Park as a public park. Grant Park has been protected since 1836 by "forever open, clear and free" legislation that has been affirmed by four Illinois Supreme Court rulings. Ward twice sued the city of Chicago to force it to remove buildings and structures from Grant Park and to keep it from building new ones. Ward is known by some as the "watch dog of the lake front" for his preservationist efforts. As a result, the city has what are termed the Montgomery Ward height restrictions on buildings and structures in Grant Park. However, Crown Fountain and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion were exempt from the height restriction because they were classified as works of art and not buildings or structures. Daniel Burnham's 1909 Burnham Plan eventually preserved Grant Park and the entire Chicago lakefront.

Legacy

thumb|right|200px|Ward's grave at Rosehill Mausoleum

Montgomery Ward died in Highland Park on December 7, 1913, aged 70, and was interred at Rosehill Mausoleum in Rosehill Cemetery. His wife Elizabeth bequeathed a large portion of the estate to Northwestern University and other educational institutions.

The Montgomery Ward catalog's place in history was acknowledged when the Grolier Club, a society of bibliophiles in New York, exhibited it in 1946 alongside Webster's Dictionary as one of the 100 books with the most influence on life and culture of the American people.

A bronze bust honoring Ward and seven other industry magnates stands between the Chicago River and the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago, Illinois. A smaller version of that bust is located in Chicago's Grant Park.

In 2010, the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners renamed Erie park in honor of A. Montgomery Ward. It is located at 630 N. Kingsbury Street, a few blocks away from the old Montgomery Ward & Co. Catalog House Building at 600 W. Chicago Avenue.

In 2005, Forbes magazine readers and editors ranked Aaron Montgomery Ward as the 16th-most influential businessman of all time.

References

Bibliography

Further reading

  • Official Montgomery Ward site