Union Endicott Johnson Corp.: Lester Brothers Boot And Shoe Company

Union Endicott before and up to 1898 was really nonexistent, it wasn’t until 1908 when Henry B. Endicott asked George F. Johnson to be his partner in the shoe company and built a factor in Endicott. Mr. Johnson didn’t have the money to accept the partnership, so Mr. Endicott loaned him the money to start their business. Mr. Endicott worked for what was called Lester Brothers Boot and Shoe Company and Mr. Johnson and he grew out of that company creating Endicott Johnson Corp. This shoe company was the start of Endicott, and Mr. Johnson helped flourish the area. EJ shoes were located in Endicott, Johnson City, and Binghamton and an estimation of 20,000 workers worked for EJ Corp. Many immigrants would come to the United States and ask, “Which Way, EJ?” this was because everyone was hearing how good the company treated the workers.

Mr. Johnson was known for if you are loyal to me and I’ll be fair to you. Endicott Johnson provided the outstanding benefits for its employee’s such as shoes for the workers children, subsidized housing, and full medical care. EJ also donated millions of dollars to create parks, carousels, schools, golfing club, theaters, swimming pools, and churches. Mr. Johnson made sure that the carousels were always free for the people to ride. He did this because he remembered as a young boy going to the fair and not having a Nickle to ride the carousel, so with that bad memory, he ensured all would be able to ride for free. To this day, the carousels are all free. Unfortunately, in 1948 Johnson died, and after his death, the company slowly declined over the years because of foreign imports. Finally, the EJ Company was bought out and moved to Tennessee and the building still stand today. I gain all of this information from a woman named Jackie Tedesco at the Union Endicott Visitor