Marshall Field

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Marshall Field (1834–1906) was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.

Field was born on a farm in Conway, Massachusetts. At the age of 19, he moved to Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he first worked in a dry goods store. In 1856, at age 21, he went to Chicago, Illinois and obtained employment at leading dry goods merchant Cooley, Wadsworth and Co., which was to become Cooley, Farwell & Co. in 1857. In 1862, Field purchased a partnership with the reorganized firm of Farwell, Field & Co.

In January 1865 Field and a partner, Levi Leiter, accepted an offer to become senior partners at the dry goods establishment of Potter Palmer. The new firm became known as Field, Palmer, Leiter & Co. In 1867, after Field and Leiter could afford to buy him out, Palmer withdrew from the firm, and it was renamed Field, Leiter & Company Finally in 1881 Field bought out his remaining business partner and changed the store's name to Marshall Field and Company. The quote "Give the lady what she wants" is attributed to Field.

The Field Museum of Natural History was named after him in 1905 after he gave it a $1,000,000 endowment. The following year after his death on January 16, 1906 at age 71 he bequeathed the museum a further $8,000,000. He was interred in the Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. He was a very active member of The Commercial Club of Chicago.