S. Edgar George (1876-1944) was born in Auburn in 1876. Upon finishing high school, he began working at Barker, Griswold & Co., one of the largest clothing establishments in Auburn.
Barker, Griswold & Co. Clothiers and Furnishers was established by Franklin L. Griswold in 1838. Griswold was born in 1816 in Troy NY and came to Auburn at the age of 16 to attend school. He became a clerk and then a teller at the Bank of Auburn but resigned in 1838 to found his clothing store east of the corner of North Street. Griswold had a prison contract allowing him to produce clothing for his store cheaply. Because of this, his store was often called “the old prison clothing store.” In 1844, he partnered with Abijah Fitch and moved the store to 89 Genesee St. Initially a men’s clothing and furnishings store, the company expanded to include women’s and children’s clothing as well. They eventually became so successful, they expanded to include 87 Genesee St. and were one of the largest stores in Auburn. In 1905, the company was sold to Charles P. Mosher, a part owner, and the name changed to Mosher, Griswold & Co. The store remained at 87-89 Genesee St. until it’s closure in 1915.
George spent 15 years with Barker, Griswold & Co. before opening his own clothing store on State Street in 1907 which he ran for 36 years. In a 1916 Citizen article describing store window displays, George’s store is highly praised: “All of the latest in men’s wear is shown in the display at the men’s furnishing store of S. Edgar George, No. 10 State Street. The entire north window is given over to men’s and boy’s suits, while the south window is replete with neckwear and shirt styles to suit the taste of the most fastidious.”
