Eben Dyer Jordan Sr.

Notable work and positions

The Boston Globe - Founder
Jordan Marsh & Co. - Co-founder

Biography

Eben Dyer Jordan Sr. (1822-1895) led a group of six Boston businessmen in founding The Boston Globe, which published its first issue on March 4, 1872, with a jointly invested $150,000. He was best known as co-founder, with Benjamin L. Marsh, of the department store chain Jordan, Marsh & Co. in 1841, later part of Macy's. Born in Danville, Maine, Jordan moved to Boston at age fourteen and worked as a dry goods store clerk before building his retail business. As majority shareholder of the Globe, he hired 27-year-old Charles H. Taylor as temporary business manager in August 1873 to address the paper's financial difficulties; within three weeks, circulation rose from 8,000 to 30,000. In 1877, Jordan agreed to a financial arrangement clearing the Globe's early debt, under which Taylor was granted stock in the paper. When Jordan died in 1895, Taylor purchased additional shares from his estate to secure a one-half ownership stake, and the Taylor family went on to manage the Globe for four generations. Jordan's Beacon Hill residence, the Eben Jordan House at 46 Beacon Street, still stands in Boston.

Career highlights

• Founded The Boston Globe 1872 · Led the group of businessmen who launched the newspaper.
• Co-founded Jordan, Marsh & Co. 1841 · A Boston department store chain later absorbed into Macy's.