Aaron Montgomery Ward

Aaron Montgomery Ward. Businessman, philanthropist, preservationist (1843-1913). Born in New Jersey, Ward grew up in Niles, Michigan. He left school at 14 to work as a laborer and then a clerk. In 1865 he moved to Chicago, where he clerked briefly in the dry goods emporium of Field, Palmer and Leiter. His next job, selling a St. Louis wholesaler's merchandise to rural general stores, taught him about the meager and expensive goods these stores offered. He realized that by selling directly from the city, he could market a larger selection at a lower price. The key lay in the mail-order catalogue. , , While not the first to turn to mail-order marketing, Ward was among the most successful. His first mailing, in 1872, drew heavily on his wife's connections with the Grange movement, a nationwide network of farmers. Taking advantage, he increased his catalogue from 72 pages in 1874 to 540 a decade later and to 1,200 pages by 1900. , , In 1890, Ward initiated the first of four lawsuits to prevent development along the lakefront, relying on an 1836 map designating this parkland "public ground, forever to remain vacant of building." Although citizens eager to place building's in Grant Park resented Ward's stand at the time, his successful legal battles eventually earned him the reputation of "protector of the lakefront." , , [First photo caption:] , Early mail-order catalogues issued by Montgomery Ward and Co. used detailed descriptions and illustrations to overcome customers' reluctance to order goods by mail from a distant city. , , [Second photo caption:] , Ward's office overlooked Grant Park from this building at 6 North Michigan Avenue, the headquarters of Montgomery Ward and Co. from 1899 to 1908.