JOSEPH LOWTHIAN HUDSON Merchant; born, New Castle on Tyne, England, Oct. 17, 1846; son of Richard and Elizabeth (Lowthian) Hudson; came to America, 1860; educated in public schools of England and Hamilton Ont., unmarried. Located at Grand Rapids, Mich., 1860; school six months; farm six months; began working for C.R. Mabley in clothing business at Potiac, 1861; in business with his father, at Ionia, 1866-77, R. Hudson & Son; came to Detroit, 1877, and associated in clothing business with C.R. Mabley; left Mabley and engaged in clothing business as J.L. Hudson in 1881, which became department store, 1891; whe the present building was completed and occupied (company incorporated as The J.L. Hudson Co., 1897) Vice president Dime Savings Bank; director American National Bank, president Harper Hospital, McGregor Mission, Associated Charities, Florence Crittenton Home, Provident Loan Society; trustee Y.M.C.A. Central M.E. Church and Methodist Deaconess' Home. Formerly Public Lighting Commissioner and Water Commissioner; now member Art Commission of Detroit, Democrat. Methodist. Club; Detroit, Fellowcraft, Detroit Fishing and Huntion Association.Recreations: Automobiling and traveling. Office: Gratiot and Farmer Sts. Residence: 443 Woodward Av. The Book of Detroiters Edited by Albert Nelson Marquis Copyright, 1908 by Albert Nelson Marquis

JOSEPH LOWTHIAN HUDSON Department store magnate. More commonly known as J.L. Hudson, as in J.L. Hudson's Deptartment Store, he came to Detroit, Michigan in 1877, opening a men's & boy's clothing store in 1881 at age 35. In 1891, he built an 8-story store in downtown Detroit, which, together with a 1907 addition, was demolished in the 1920s. In 1911, he opened a store on Detroit's main street, Woodward Ave., adding to it between 1925-28 with 16-stories, part of which extended into a 25-story tower. A 12-story addition was built in 1946, by which time the store had 2.2 million sq. ft. or 49 acres of floor space. In 1912, he took a trip to England & died of pneumonia; his sister's sons took over the store. Posthumously, the department stores became the nation's 3rd-largest in 1927 behind R.H. Macy in New York and Marshall Field's in Chicago. Biography by Earl Richard Sutton (Portrait from "Mario") Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery Detroit Michigan Photo by Kim Jacobson (Find-A-Grave)