Frank Winfield Woolworth

AKA:

F. W. Woolworth

Birth Name:

Birth Date:

April 13, 1852

Birth Place:

Rodman, New York

Death Date:

April 8, 1919

Place of Death:

77 Crescent Beach Road, Glen Cove, New York

Age:

Cause of Death:

Tooth infection

Cemetery Name:

Woodlawn Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Business and Finance

Associates:

Barbara Hutton

F. W. Woolworth was an American entrepreneur, the founder of F. W. Woolworth Company, and the operator of variety stores known as "Five-and-Dimes" (5- and 10-cent stores or dime stores) which featured a selection of low-priced merchandise. He pioneered the now-common practices of buying merchandise directly from manufacturers and fixing the selling prices on items, rather than haggling. He was also the first to use self-service display cases, so that customers could examine what they wanted to buy without the help of a sales clerk

Fun Fact

Frank Woolworth had an absolute hatred of going to the dentist, a prejudice that led to his death in April 1919, when he died suddenly due to a tooth infection at his Glen Cove Estate. Unbelievably, he died with his will unsigned, and all the money (about $30 million) went to his wife Jennie.

Sadly at the time of Frank’s death, Jennie was having problems all her own, having been declared ‘mentally feeble‘ and legally incompetent by this time. “DEMENTED WIFE GETS ALL” screamed an not-so-subtle New York Times headline. However historians now believe it appears from the description of her condition that Mrs. Woolworth was suffering from Alzheimer’s.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Woodlawn Cemetery

4199 Webster Avenue

Bronx, New York, 10470

USA

North America

Map:

Cemetery map of Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York

Grave Location:

Pine Plot, Section 135, Woolworth Mausoleum

Grave Location Description

From the Jerome Avenue entrance, drive straight ahead on Central Avenue (it’s the painted road that runs through the center of the cemetery) and shortly after you cross West Border Avenue you will see the large Woolworth Mausoleum on your left about 80 feet from the road.