Notable people · Business · Founder
Harry David Lee
Born in Vermont, Lee came to Galion at 17 and made a first fortune in a local oil refinery. He later moved to Kansas and founded the H.D. Lee Mercantile Company, which became the maker of Lee Jeans.
At a glance
- Born
- 1849-12-09
- Died
- 1928-03-15
- Education
- School in East Randolph, East Randolph, VT
- Known as
- Business, Founder
- Organizations
- H.D. Lee Mercantile Company, Central Oil Co.
Life story
Harry David Lee was born in 1849 in Vermont and went to school in East Randolph. In 1867, when he was about 17, he moved to Galion, Ohio.
In Galion he worked as a hotel clerk and did well selling circular knitting machines. He used the money to buy the Central Oil Company, a refinery that Standard Oil later bought. Lee served for a time as its president and then retired in his thirties with a large fortune.
Illness (tuberculosis) led a doctor to advise a move, and in 1889 he settled in Salina, Kansas, where he began a wholesale grocery and supply business. In 1912 the company opened its first garment factory, producing work clothes under the Lee name. The brand still exists, and its Ohio start is the Galion oil money that paid for it.
Timeline
- 1849-12-09: Born in Vermont (Vermont) source
- 1867: Moves to Galion (Galion, OH) source
- 1870s: Works as a hotel clerk and sells circular knitting machines (exact years not given in the source) (Galion, OH) source
- 1880s: Buys Central Oil Co.; Standard Oil later buys the refinery and Lee serves a time as president (Galion, OH) source
- 1889: Moves to Salina, Kansas, and founds the H.D. Lee Mercantile Company (Salina, KS) source
- 1912: Company opens its first garment factory and launches Lee Jeans (Salina, KS) source
- 1928-03-15: Dies source
What Harry is known for
- Made his first fortune in Galion before age 40
- Founded H.D. Lee Mercantile Company in Salina, Kansas (1889); the company opened its first garment factory in 1912
- H.D. Lee Mercantile Company, Salina, Kansas (1889)
- Central Oil Co., Galion (owner before sale to Standard Oil)
Honors and things named for them
- Lee Jeans brand carries his name
Ohio places
Where Harry David Lee was born, lived, worked and is remembered, with the ZIP code, town and county pages for each.
- Born: Tunbridge, Orange (Vermont) County
- Lived: Galion, Crawford County ZIP 44833 · Galion · Crawford County
- Worked: Salina, Kansas, Saline (Kansas) County
Myths and corrections
- His first name is often printed as Henry. The Wikipedia article is titled Henry David Lee, but its text calls him Harry David Lee. The name Harry is used here.
- Disputed: Many sources print his first name as Henry and others as Harry. Both are in common use, and no document seen settles it.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
- Wikipedia: Harry David Lee birth/death dates; Vermont birth; moved to Galion 1867; hotel clerk, knitting machines, Central Oil Co.; Salina 1889; 1912 garment factory