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LEVI STRAUSS (1829 - 1902) was born Loeb Strauss in Buttenheim, Bavaria to Hirsch Strauss and his second wife, Rebecca Haas Strauss. Hirsch died of tuberculosis in 1845. 1847 the Strauss family emigrated to New York. There, they were met by Loeb's brothers who had already made the journey and had started a dry goods business. Loeb began to learn the dry goods trade from his brothers. By 1850 he was known among his family and customers as "Levi." Levi decided to emigrate to San Francisco to make his fortune during the California Gold Rush not by panning gold, but by selling supplies to the miners before they headed off to the gold fields. In January of 1853 he became an American citizen . In 1872, Levi received a letter from Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor, describing the interesting way he made pants for his customers: he placed metal rivets at the points of strain - pocket corners, and at the base of the button fly. The problem was Jacob didn't have the money for the patent, so he suggested that Levi pay for the paperwork and that they take out the patent together. The patent was granted to both men on May 20, 1873. In 1890 the lot number "501" was first used to designate the denim waist overalls. Levi died on friday the 26th of september 1902. In the year 2003 Levi Strauss & Co. will be 150 years old. The company say that "Levi Strauss & CO. makes the only garment created in the 19th century that is still worn today".