Jesse Shwayder

Jesse Shwayder (March 26, 1882 – July 25, 1970) was an American businessman. He was the founder, president and chairman of the Samsonite Corporation, "the world's largest luggage manufacturer" by the time of his death. Early life Shwayder was born on March 16, 1882, in Black Hawk, Colorado. He was of Polish-Jewish descent. His father, Isaac, owned a grocery store followed by a furniture store in Denver, where Shwayder worked as a teenager. Career Shwayder began his career as a salesman for the Seward Trunk Co. in New York City. Shwayer founded the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company in Denver in 1910. He served as its president from 1910 to 1960, and later served as its chairman. The company introduced a new suitcase called Samsonite in 1939, and it changed its name to the Samsonite Corporation in 1965.