in farm publications and mailing flyers to potential clients. From the beginning, it was clear that Sears had a talent for writing promotional copy. He took the personal approach in his ads, speaking directly to rural and small-town communities, persuading them to purchase by mail-order. Chicago In 1887, Sears moved his company to Chicago, an important transportation center for the Midwestern United States, and moved his residence to nearby Oak Park, Illinois. In 1887 he also hired watch repairman Alvah Curtis Roebuck to repair any watches being returned. Roebuck was Sears's first employee, and he later became co-founder of Sears, Roebuck & Company, which was formed in 1891 when Sears was 28 years old. In 1895 the company was short of cash and Roebuck had left the business. Sears sold one half of the company for $75,000.00 to Aaron Nusbaum and his brother-in-law, Julius Rosenwald. The company was incorporated in Illinois as Sears Roebuck & Co. of Illinois on September 7, 1895. Richard Sears retired in 1908 at age 44 and Julius Rosenwald became the President. The first Sears catalog was published in 1893 and offered only watches. By 1897, items such as men's and ladies clothing, plows, silverware, bicycles and athletic equipment had been added to the offering. The 500-page catalog was sent to some 300,000 homes. Sears catered to the rural customer because, having been raised on a farm, he knew what the rural customer needed. He also had experience working with the railroad and he knew how to ship merchandise to remote areas. In 1908 Sears made another move forward and began to sell mail order homes through the catalogs. Death In 1908 Sears retired and moved from Oak Park to Lake Bluff, Illinois, suffering from failing health due to alcoholism. Six years later, he died in Waukesha, Wisconsin, of Bright's disease. He was interred in the mausoleum at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago near business rival Aaron Montgomery Ward. Legacy Sears's birthplace in Stewartville is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sears was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1892. References External links Sears Archives biography 1863 births 1914 deaths Burials at Rosehill Cemetery American businesspeople in retailing American people of English descent Deaths from nephritis People from Waukesha, Wisconsin People from Stewartville, Minnesota People from Oak Park, Illinois People from Lake Bluff, Illinois People from Spring Valley, Minnesota People