Alvah Curtis Roebuck

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Alvah Curtis Roebuck was born on January 9, 1864, in Lafayette, Indiana. He began working as a watchmaker in a Hammond, Indiana, jewelry store at age 12. In 1891, he co-founded Sears, Roebuck and Company with Richard Warren Sears. In 1895, Roebuck asked Sears to buy him out for about $20,000. At Richard Sears's request, Roebuck took charge of a division that handled watches, jewelry, optical goods, and later phonographs, magic lanterns and motion picture machines. After leaving Sears, Roebuck organized and financed two companies: a manufacturer and a distributor of motion picture machines and accessories. He also served as president (1909–1924) of Emerson Typewriter Company, where he invented the improved typewriter called the 'Woodstock.' After several years in semi-retirement in Florida, financial losses from the stock market crash of 1929 forced him to return to Chicago. By 1933, he had rejoined Sears, Roebuck and Co., where he largely devoted his time to compiling a history of the company. In September 1934, a Sears store manager asked Roebuck to make a public appearance; after an enthusiastic turnout, he went on tour appearing at retail stores across the country for several years. Roebuck married his first wife Kittie Rice on September 2, 1890, in York, Ontario, Canada, and had a son Theodore Roebuck, born July 2, 1891. He later married Sarah Blanche Lett; they lived in Tujunga, Los Angeles, California, and had a son Alvah Curtis Roebuck Jr., born April 27, 1914, and a daughter Lucile May Roebuck, born April 16, 1902, who lived in Evanston, Illinois, with her husband Raymond Hiram Keeler. He died on June 18, 1948, while visiting his daughter in Evanston, Illinois, at age 84, and was entombed in a crypt at Acacia Park Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.

Reader's Guide

Alvah Curtis Roebuck's significance lies primarily in his role as co-founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company, a department store that became a major American retail institution. Although he sold his interest in the company early for about $20,000, his name remained on the company and he later returned to compile its history. His later career included inventing the Woodstock typewriter and running companies in the motion picture industry, showing a continued entrepreneurial drive. His legacy is tied to the founding of a retail giant, but his personal story—from watchmaker to co-founder to inventor—illustrates the varied paths of American businessmen of his era. The company he helped found shaped retail and mail-order commerce for generations.

Did You Know?

• Roebuck began working as a watchmaker at age 12 in a Hammond, Indiana, jewelry store.
• He sold his share of Sears, Roebuck and Company to Richard Sears for about $20,000 in 1895.
• Roebuck served as president of Emerson Typewriter Company from 1909 to 1924 and invented the Woodstock typewriter.
• Financial losses from the stock market crash of 1929 forced him to return to Chicago from semi-retirement in Florida.
• In September 1934, a store manager asked Roebuck to make a public appearance, which led to a multi-year tour of Sears retail stores across the country.