Louis K. Liggett

Louis Kroh Liggett
Liggett in 1920
Born	(1875-04-04)April 4, 1875 Detroit, Michigan
Died	June 5, 1946(1946-06-05) (aged 71) Brookline, Massachusetts
Resting place	Newton Cemetery Newton, Massachusetts
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Musa Bence ​ (m. 1895⁠–⁠1931)​
Signature

Louis Kroh Liggett (April 4, 1875 – June 5, 1946) was an American drug store magnate who founded L.K. Liggett Drug Company and then Rexall. He was later chairman of United Drug Company. He was a member of the Republican National Committee for Massachusetts.

Biography

He was born in Detroit, Michigan, on April 4, 1875. His parents were John Templeton Liggett and Julia A. Kroh.[1]

In 1936 he toured America and parts of Canada with the Rexall Train to promote Rexall stores and products. In 1937 Louis Liggett moved to 170 Ivy Street, in Brookline, Massachusetts.

He died on June 5, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts.[2] He was entombed in the Liggett Mausoleum in Newton Cemetery in Newton.

Estate in Chestnut Hill Newton

From 1916 to 1937, Louis Liggett owned and occupied a 9-acre (36,000 m^2) estate at 185 Hammond Street in the village of Chestnut Hill in Newton, Massachusetts. The main house, built in 1895, was modeled on Gwydr Hall in Wales. Musa Liggett died in 1931. The estate was donated in 1937 to Cardinal William Henry O'Connell, Archbishop of Boston, who in 1941 donated it to Boston College, which used it to create its Upper Campus. The main house is now known as O'Connell House Archived December 27, 2017, at the Wayback Machine and is the center of the Upper Campus.[3] On April 22–23, 1938, the furniture and other property of the late Musa Bence Liggett were sold at auction by Louis K. Liggett's order at American Art Association-Anderson Galleries in New York City.

Personal life

On June 26, 1895, Liggett married Musa Bence. She was born in Michigan on March 19, 1873, to Lavinia and George W. Bence. Liggett and Bence had three children. Musa died on September 7, 1931, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[4][5]

References

1. Who Was Who in America, Vol. 2, (1943-1950), Chicago:A. N. Marquis Company, 1963, p. 323His middle name is often erroneously given as Kohl.
2. "L. K. Liggett Dies. Began Drug Chain. Ex-Head of United-Rexall Co. Once Controlled 7,000 Outlet Stores Throughout U.S." New York Times. June 7, 1946. Retrieved September 29, 2012. Louis Kroh Liggett, founder and honorary chairman of the board of the United-Rexall Drug Company and the Liggett chain of drug stores, and a former Republican National Committeeman for Massachusetts, died on Wednesday in Washington, according to word received here yesterday. His age was 71.
3. "Campus Guide - Boston College". www.bc.edu. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007.
4. "Mrs. Louis K. Liggett – Wife of United Drug Company President Dies at 58". New York Times. September 8, 1931. p. 26. Retrieved May 10, 2020. Mrs. Musa Bence Liggett, wife of Louis K. Liggett, head of the United Drug Company...
5. "Wife of United President Dies at 58". Boston Globe. September 8, 1931. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2012. Mrs. Musa Bence Liggett, wife of Louis K. Liggett, head of the United Drug Company...

Resources

• The Rexall Story: A History of Genius and Neglect by Mickey C. Smith ISBN 0-7890-2472-1

Party political offices
Preceded by William M. Butler	Republican National Committeeman from Massachusetts 1928–1932	Succeeded by John Richardson