David May (1848–1927) was an American businessman and founder of The May Department Stores Company.
Early life and education
David May was born to a Jewish family in Kaiserslautern, then located in the Kingdom of Bavaria, Germany.[1][2][3] In 1854, he immigrated with his family to the United States and settled in Cincinnati. As a young man he worked at a clothing factory, while attending night school at Cincinnati's Nelson Business College.[4]
After moving for health reasons to Leadville, Colorado, then undergoing a boom due to silver mining, he partnered with future brother-in-law Moses Shoenberg and opened a dry goods store in 1877.