Marshall Field

Merchant, born in Conway, Massachusetts, USA. A shop clerk in Pittsfield, MA, he moved to Chicago (1856), where he continued in retail. By 1867 he headed Field, Leiter & Co, which became Marshall Field and Co (1881), soon recognized as one of the world's largest, most progressive emporia. As a philanthropist he gave to many causes, including land on which to establish the University of Chicago, and a library for his home town. In 1893 he gave a million dollars for the Columbian Museum at the Chicago World's Fair, now known as the Field Museum of Natural History.

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. 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 & In 1862, Field purchased a partnership with the reorganized firm of Farwell, Field &

In January 1865 Field and a partner, Levi Leiter, accepted an offer to become senior partners at the dry goods establishment of Potter Palmer. 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 Field Museum of Natural History was named after him in 1905 after he gave it a $1,000,000 endowment.