Samsonite Corporation, 1923-1973

Samsonite Corporation, the world-famous maker of luggage, started in Denver, Colorado, in 1910, when Jesse Shwayder opened a small luggage factory in Denver with his father, Isaac Shwayder, and brothers, Mark, Maurice, Benjamin, and Solomon Shwayder. The operation became incorporated as the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company in 1912 and counted many members of the Shwayder family among its employees. All of the Shwayder brothers held executive positions in the company in the 1920s: Jesse was the company's president, Mark Shwayder was in charge of sales, Maurice and Ben Shwayder were in charge of manufacturing, and Solomon Shwayder served as the company’s lawyer. Samson was the first trade name for the company’s luggage, and this was later changed to Samsonite. Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company started to diversify its product offerings in the 1930s by manufacturing folding furniture, and the company changed its name to Shwayder Brothers, Inc., in 1931. As sales increased throughout the 20th century, the company moved into gradually larger facilities in Denver, and at various stages in the business’ history it opened additional plants in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Arizona, Mexico, and Japan. In 1961, Jesse Shwayder’s son King D. Shwayder became president of the company, and in 1965 the Shwayder Brothers, Inc., changed its name to Samsonite Corporation. In 1973, the Shwayder sold the company and in 2005 the company moved its headquarters to Massachusetts.