Penney, James Cash (1875-1971), an American merchant, established the J. C. Penney Company. The company became one of the nation’s leading retailing firms.
Penney began his career as a clerk in a general store. He bought a partnership in a store in Wyoming in 1902, and later established new stores in partnership with men he trained. These stores were first called the Golden Rule stores. Penney headed 1,612 stores at the time of his retirement in 1946. After his retirement, Penney established the James C. Penney Foundation to aid religious, scientific, and educational projects. He wrote an autobiography, Fifty Years with the Golden Rule (1950).
Penney was born on Sept. 16, 1875, in Hamilton, Missouri. He died on Feb. 12, 1971.
