When did Levi Strauss die?

Levi Strauss died in 1902.

He died on September 26, 1902, in San Francisco, California, at the age of 73. Strauss had built his fortune there after moving west and founding Levi Strauss & Co., the company associated with riveted blue jeans.

Born Löb Strauß in Buttenheim, Bavaria, in 1829, Strauss emigrated to the United States in 1847. He eventually reached San Francisco during the region’s rapid commercial growth and established a dry-goods business. His partnership with tailor Jacob Davis led to the 1873 patent for copper-riveted work pants.

Strauss never married and had no children. After his death, ownership of the company passed to four of his nephews. His estate was reported to be worth about $30 million, an enormous sum for the period. A frequent mix-up is confusing his death year with major Levi’s milestones: 1873 marks the rivet patent, 1886 marks the Two Horse trademark, and 1890 marks the introduction of the 501 lot number.