JC Penney: A Brief Biography

JC Penney James Cash Penney, known as the owner and founder of JC Penney stores. He was born on a farm in Hamilton missouri, in 1875. He had 11 siblings, and his father was a farmer and unpaid preacher in a baptist church. Penney at a young age was forced to earn money and buy his own clothes. His parents wanted him to learn the way of life and how to manage money. He had quite an ordinary life during his childhood and early adult years. When he finished high school he worked mostly as a store clerk. He then eventually moved to Colorado due to health reasons. After that his life began to change in a positive way.
While living in Colorado Penney quickly employed at the Golden Rule Mercantile company chain, owned by Thomas Callahan and Guy Johnson. Callahan liked Penney’s honesty and work ethic. Penney had dreamed of operating his own business of chain stores. He was sent to wyoming to work with Johnson in another Golden rule store. That same year, he married Berta Alva Hess. Then Johnson and Callahan asked Penney to join them in opening a new Golden Rule store. Penney then joined the partnership and moved to Kemmerer Wyoming, with his wife to start the new business.
Penney opened the new store on April 14, 1907 and lived in a one room wooden building. He and his family lived in the attack above the …show more content…
They were devastated and felt as if there “world crashed”. Despite the family's grief, Penneys business continued to progress. In 1912 there were thirty Golden Rule stores. In 1913 the chain name was changed to J.C Penney. Then by 1914, Penney had the headquarters relocated to New York City for better source of merchandise. As new stores appeared across the country, newspapers let people know when a store would soon open near them. Penney had good products for affordable prices which made him very wealthy. On April 15, 1918, he opened his first J.C Penney store in his home state,