February 12, 1971

Missouri native J.C. Penney dies at the age of 91. James Cash Penney was a Missouri business icon who changed the retail industry while also changing millions of lives around the world. He grew up in the small town of Hamilton and after graduation took a job at the Golden Rule Stores in Colorado. He later purchased the store and renamed it the J.C. Penney Company to begin a retail empire the eventually had a store in every state.

Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.

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