John D. Rockefeller Sr.

popular name: Gilbert F. Heublein

date_of_death: March 21, 1937

age: 87

cause_of_death: Arteriosclerosis

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: German-born Gilbert F. Heublein was a prominent hotelier, restaurateur, food and liquor distributor in Hartford, Connecticut. While most people remember Gilbert for securing the license and distribution rights of A-1 Steak Sauce to the United States, his real claim to fame should be his discovery and marketing of pre-made cocktails. As the legend goes, Gilbert and his brother Louis had prepared a quantity of premixed cocktails for a large annual picnic. It rained and the event was canceled. A few days later a employee of the Heubleins was told to dispose of the unused beverages. Deciding to taste them first, he found that the drinks had suffered no deterioration and announced the discovery to his bosses. The Heubleins took note and began selling the premixed libations in their saloon and restaurant. The cocktails proved very popular with customers and increasingly became the focus of the family’s attention. With Gilbert now running the business, the new firm concentrated on the premixed cocktails such as Martinis and Manhattans, advertising them widely as Club Cocktails. Upon the enactment of Prohibition in 1920, Heublein's "secondary sideline" of A.1. Sauce served as a fortunate savior, when the production, transportation and sale of all other Heublein products became illegal in the US for the next thirteen years. Upon Gilbert’s death, the company was taken over by John G. Martin, the son of Alice Heublein and Percy Martin, Gilbert Heublein’s grandson. Through Martin’s business savvy, G.F. Heublein & Bro. acquired the rights to sell Smirnoff vodka, Don Q rum, and Jose Cuervo tequila. In 1969, Heublein, Inc. began to package pre-mixed cocktails in 8-ounce cans, such as the ‘Brass Monkey’. The company also made acquisitions outside the liquor industry with the purchase of Grey Poupon mustard in 1936 and Kentucky Fried Chicken in 1971. In 1982, Heublein, Inc was sold to R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company for 1.4 billion dollars.

popular name: Isidor Straus

date_of_death: April 15, 1912

age: 67

cause_of_death: Drowning at sea (Titanic)

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Isidor Straus (1845–1912) was a German-born American businessman, politician, and philanthropist best known as a co-owner of Macy’s department store and for his tragic death aboard the RMS Titanic. Born in Otterberg, Germany, he immigrated with his family to the United States in 1854, settling in Georgia before moving north after the Civil War. Along with his brother Nathan, Isidor built a successful career in retail, becoming a partner in R.H. Macy & Co. in New York City. Beyond business, he served as a U.S. Congressman for New York’s 15th district from 1894 to 1895 and was widely respected for his integrity and charitable work. Isidor married Ida Blun in 1871, and the two shared a famously devoted relationship. The couple perished together on April 15, 1912, when the Titanic sank—refusing to be separated as the ship went down. Their enduring love story became one of the most poignant and enduring legends of the disaster. While Ida's body was never found, Isidor Straus' remains made their way to New York where he was interred (eventually) at the Straus Family mausoleum at historic Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Ida is represented by an urn of ocean water recovered at the sight of the sinking of the Titanic.

popular name: Adam Smith

date_of_death: July 17, 1790

age: 67

cause_of_death: Decay

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: Adam Smith, a graduate of the University of Glasgow and at Balliol College, Oxford, was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Also known as "The Father of Economics" or "The Father of Capitalism" he wrote two classic works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). The latter, often abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work of economics. Upon his death, he was laid to rest at Canongate Kirkyard in Edinburgh, Scotland.