Sam Lucchese
Sam Lucchese | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 24, 1868 |
| Died | January 15, 1929 (aged 60) |
Resting place | Saint Mary's Cemetery |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Frances Battaglia |
| Children | 5, including Josephine |
Sam Lucchese (February 24, 1868 – January 15, 1929) was an Italian-born American businessman and impresario. He was the founder of the Lucchese Boot Company and the owner of Spanish-language theaters in San Antonio and Laredo, Texas.
Early life
[edit]Sam Lucchese was born on February 24, 1868, in Palermo, Sicily, Italy.[1] He immigrated to the United States in 1883 with his parents and siblings, settling in San Antonio, Texas.[1][2]
Career
[edit]Lucchese was a businessman. In 1883, he co-founded the Lucchese Boot Company with his brother in San Antonio.[1][2]
With the revenue from his boot company, Lucchese opened Spanish-language theaters in San Antonio and Laredo.[3] In 1912, he acquired the Teatro Zaragoza on the corner of Commerce Street and Santa Rosa Street in San Antonio.[1][3] Five years later, in 1917, he acquired the Teatro Nacional, located at the same intersection in San Antonio.[1][3] An impresario, he hired actors from Mexico to perform in his theaters.[1]
Personal life
[edit]He married Frances Battaglia.[1] They had three sons and two daughters. Their son Gaetano "Tano" Lucchese ran the family's Spanish-language theaters[4], expanding the collection in San Antonio to include the Alameda Theater and Casa de Mexico International Building.[5] Daughter Josephine Lucchese became a renowned opera vocalist[1] and performed at the opening night of the Alameda Theater.[4]
Death and legacy
[edit]He died of a stroke on January 15, 1929, in San Antonio, Texas.[1] He was buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery. After his death, his son Cosimo took over the Lucchese Boot Company.[1][2] His grandson, Samuel James Lucchese, succeeded him, and designed boots for many actors.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Elizabeth C. Ramírez, "LUCCHESE, SAM," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fluan), accessed July 16, 2015. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- 1 2 3 4 A Guide to the Lucchese Boot Company Records, 1910-1968, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History
- 1 2 3 Haney, Peter C. (December 2003). "Bilingual Humor, Verbal Hygiene, and the Gendered Contradictions of Cultural Citizenship in Early Mexican American Comedy". Journal of Linguistic Anthropology. 13 (2): 168. doi:10.1525/jlin.2003.13.2.163. hdl:1808/9943. JSTOR 43102607.
- 1 2 "Lucchese's Rise Meteoric". San Antonio Light. March 9, 1949. pp. 28–31.
- ↑ "FOREIGN TRADE: The Best of Everything". Time Magazine. July 21, 1947. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
External links
[edit]
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- 1868 births
- 1929 deaths
- Businesspeople from Palermo
- Italian emigrants to the United States
- Businesspeople from San Antonio
- Entertainers from San Antonio
- Businesspeople from Texas
- American company founders
- American businesspeople in fashion
- Theatre owners
- Italian impresarios
- American impresarios
- American business biography, 1860s birth stubs