Eckstein, Nathan, 1873-1945

Nathan Eckstein was born on January 10, 1873, in Bavaria, Germany. In 1888, he came to New York and worked in the wholesale grocery business. He married Mina Schwabacher in 1902 and the two moved to Seattle, Washington, where Eckstein entered into business with his Schwabacher in-laws and eventually succeeded Bailey Gatzert as president of Schwabacher Bros. & Company. He was a member of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Seattle School Board (twice serving as president), and many other civic and cultural organizations. Also active in Seattle's Jewish community, Eckstein served on the board of congregation Temple De Hirsch and was its second president. Nathan Eckstein's long record of service to the civic, social, and cultural life of Seattle earned him the title "Seattle's most useful citizen" in 1926.