John W. Nordstrom

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John W. Nordstrom (John W. Nordström) (February 15, 1871 - October 11, 1963) was the co-founder of the Nordstrom department store chain. He was born in Luleå, Sweden on February 15, 1871 and emigrated to the United States at the age of 16. Arriving in America with $5 to his name, he worked his way across the continent taking jobs on railways and in mines, lumber camps and shipyards, eventually arriving in Seattle, WA in 1896. While working at a sawmill in the city he read a newspaper account of the discovery of gold in the Klondike and headed to Alaska to make his fortune. During the Klondike gold rush he befriended Carl Wallin, a shoemaker. After John returned to Seattle to settle down he and Carl opened Wallin & Nordstrom, a shoe store, at Fourth Avenue and Pike Street in 1901. From that first shoe store grew the Nordstrom retail empire. John Nordstorm retired in 1928 selling his stake to his sons Everett Nordstrom and Elmer Nordstrom. Everett and Elmer also acquired Carl Wallin's share of the company. John's third son Lloyd Nordstrom joined the company as a part owner in 1933. Members of the Nordstrom family still own 20% of Nordstrom Inc and closely supervise the chain.[1] Ironically John Nordstrom never had a passion for the shoe business, although he continued to show up at the shoe store almost daily into his mid 80s to chat with customers.[2] His initals (JWN) are used as Nordstroms' ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange.

John Nordstrom wrote a short autobiography in retirement, The Immigrant in 1887. He died in Seattle on October 11, 1963.

His only sister's grandchildren and great-grandchildren still live in Alvik, the village where he was born, and in the nearby city of Luleå, all in the north of Sweden. One of his sister's great-granddaughters, Britta and her husband Christopher Alam live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania from where they lead a Christian missionary work working extensively in Africa and Southeast Asia.

A cousin of Nordstrom, John Nordstrom, was a designer of the Parliament Building in Ottawa, Canada. Some of his descendants, the Strand family, live in Minnesota.