Filene (Edward A.) is born in Salem.

One of two sons of William and Clara (Ballin) Filene (originally Katz), Edward Filene attends public schools in Lynn and private school in Germany, but is forced to forego attending Harvard College after his father suffers a stroke in 1880. With his brother Lincoln, he takes over Filene’s Department Store, expands the business and introduces a number of retail and labor innovations. Filene lives at 12 Otis Place from 1920 to 1937, becomes active in local civic affairs and philanthropy. Called “America’s most unselfish man” in the 1930s, he once explains, “Why shouldn’t the American people take half my money from me? I took all of it from them.” Filene dies in Paris on September 26, 1937.