Edward Jacobson

Who was Edward Jacobson?

Edward Jacobson was an American-Jewish businessman. He was also a U.S. Army associate, business partner, and close friend of President Harry S. Truman.

Jacobson was born in New York's Lower East Side. His parents, David and Sarah Rubin Jacobson were impoverished Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. Jacobson had three brothers and two sisters. The family moved to Kansas in 1893, settling in Leavenworth, before finally relocating to Kansas City, Missouri in 1905.

Jacobson met Truman in 1905, when both worked in downtown Kansas City, MO. They renewed their acquaintance in 1917 when they reported for basic training at Fort Sill, near Lawton, Oklahoma, with a unit of soldiers from the Kansas City area. They successfully managed a canteen together, and were thus inspired to open a haberdashery together after World War I. The business failed as a result of the post-war recession and the resulting debts burdened both for many years. Jacobson spent the rest of his career as a traveling salesman, which enabled him periodically to visit Truman in Washington. According to David McCullough, Jacobson had open access to the Oval Office.