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Historical records matching Sir John Edward Cohen
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About Sir John Edward Cohen
Sir John Edward Cohen (6 October 1898 – 24 March 1979), born Jacob Edward Kohen and commonly known as Jack Cohen, was an English grocer who founded the Tesco supermarket chain.
Cohen was born in the city of London and grew up in Whitechapel.[1][2] His family was Jewish: his father, Avroam Kohen, was a Polish immigrant (from Łódź, City in central part of Poland) who worked as a tailor, and his mother was Sime Zamremba.[1] He was named Jacob Edward Kohen, but was known as Jack from an early age. [1] He was educated at the London County Council elementary school on Rutland Street until he was aged 14 and then began his working life as an apprentice tailor to his father.[1] His mother died in 1915 and his father remarried. He became estranged from his father after an argument about his career choice as a grocer. [1]
In 1917, he volunteered to join the Royal Flying Corps where he used his tailoring skills as a canvas maker for balloons and other aircraft.[1] He served in France, and also in Egypt and Palestine.[1] He was on board a ship that was sunk by a mine outside Alexandria in 1917.[1] He returned to England after contracting malaria, and was demobilised in 1919.[1]
He married Sarah (Cissie) Fox, daughter of an immigrant Russian-Jewish tailor, in 1924. [1] Cissie was a great supporter of her husband's business interests, so much so that the money they received as wedding gifts was invested in a wholesale venture.[3] They had two daughters, Sybil Irene born 1926 and Shirley born 1930.[1] Irene married Hyman Kreitman (1926–2005) and Shirley married Leslie Porter (1920–2005).[1]
He continued to work after a colostomy operation in 1958, even after standing down as chairman of Tesco in 1969.[1] He died in London.[1]
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Sir John Edward Cohen's Timeline
| 1898 |
October 6, 1898
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London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
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| 1926 |
October 22, 1926
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| 1979 |
March 24, 1979
Age 80
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London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
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