Levi Strauss
Levi Strauss
When the name Levi Strauss comes to mind, most people would probably
think of denim jeans or his company, Levi Strauss & Co. That?s because he invented the
first riveted pair of jeans and he started the first and largest manufacturer of denim jeans.
Levi Strauss was born on February 26, 1829 in Buttenheim, Bavaria what is now
known as Germany. In 1843, Strauss sailed from Bremerhaven to New York City to join
his two brothers, Jonas and Louis, who already had a successful wholesale textile and
tailoring business. After staying only a few days in New York, he decided to go to his
uncle?s ranch in Louisville, Kentucky. Strauss spent the next five years of his life there
learning English and the ways of the Americans, so he could take over his uncle?s ranch.
In 1853 he returned to New York and he also became an American citizen. After word
spread about the gold rush in California, Levi decided to travel west to San Francisco to
get rich. He did not have intentions of looking for gold, but instead he wanted to sell
supplies.
When Strauss arrived in San Francisco during March of 1853, he
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