Voting Station

Alvah C. Roebuck

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Entrepreneur

The Resume

    (January 9, 1864-June 18, 1948)
    Born in Lafayette, Indiana
    Co-founded Sears, Roebuck and Company with Richard W. Sears (1892)

Why he might be annoying:

    Worried that he might be held liable for the company’s debts, he sold his share of the business to Sears (1895) and became a salaried employee instead.
    After suffering financial setbacks in the Great Depression, he came out of retirement and returned to Sears, Roebuck and Co.
    He was given jobs writing a company history and making publicity appearances at store openings.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was a self-taught watchmaker by his teens.
    He designed a magic lantern (an early motion picture projector) and started a company to manufacture it (1899).
    He served as president of the Emerson Typewriter Company (1909-24), where he developed an improved model, the Woodstock.
    Asked if he had regrets about missing out on a fortune by selling his stake in the business to Sears, he replied, ‘He’s dead. Me, I never felt better.’

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying