| Nathan Swartz | |
| Birth Date: | July 1902 |
| Birth Place: | Odessa, Russian Empire |
| Death Date: | August 1984 |
| Nationality: | Russian American |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Known For: | Founder of Timberland |
| Spouse: | Married |
| Children: | 2 sons |
| Relations: | Jeffrey Swartz (grandson) |
Nathan Swartz (July 1902 - August 1984) was a Ukrainan-born American shoemaker and businessman, known for founding the Timberland Company.
Nathan Swartz was born to a poor Jewish family in July 1902 in Odessa, Kherson Governorate, the fourth generation of a family of shoemakers.[1] Soon before the First World War, the family migrated to the US.[1]
Swartz started as an apprentice in a New York shoe repair shop. In 1952, he bought a 50% stake in the Abington Shoe Company, in Massachusetts, which later became Timberland.[1] [2] He retired in 1968.[3]
Swartz had two sons, Herman and Sidney. Herman led the company from 1968 to 1986, followed by Sidney from 1986 to 1998. In 1998, Sidney's son, Jeffrey Swartz, took over.[4] [5] In 2011, Jeffrey sold the company to VF in a $2B deal.[6]
Swartz lost several fingers in an industrial accident.[2]