RICHARDSON, George Sr.

RICHARDSON, George Sr. (England, April 3, 1825 – September 1, 1894) Richardson came to the United States at the age of twenty and settled in New Diggings near Galena, Illinois. By 1850 he had accumulated enough money to begin a small shoe store in Galena. As business increased, he expanded the shoe business into manufacturing with success until fire destroyed the business in 1878. (1)

Looking around for a new location, Richardson chose Dubuque where he opened a business at 74 Main. He remained there a year before relocating GEORGE RICHARDSON'S BOOT AND SHOE FACTORY. He manufactured all grades of calf and kip boots and shoes, especially what was known to the trade as the “Standard Screwed Fastener.” Raw materials were obtained from Milwaukee, Chicago, and Buffalo. Finer items were imported from abroad. (2)

Richardson brought his sons B. F. and George W. and his son-in-law A. N. Stacy into the business and opened the B. F. RICHARDSON COMPANY. He was also associated with the DUBUQUE BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION and the FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF DUBUQUE serving as a director. (3)

In 1911 George Richardson’s Boot and Shoe Factory was destroyed by fire.

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Source:

1. "Another Sudden Summons," Dubuque Daily Herald, September 2, 1894, p. 4

2. "George Richardson, Sr." Linwood Legacies. Online: http://www.linwoodlegacies.org/the-richardson-family.html

3. "Another Sudden Summons."