Youth and first business ventures, 1862-1895 -- Early Sears years, 1895-1908 -- Blacks, politics, and philanthropy, 1908-1912 -- Black schools, political attacks, and the profit sharing plan, 1912-1916 -- World War I, 1916-1918 -- The rescue of Sears and the consolidation of philanthropic endeavors, 1919-1924 -- New philanthropic ventures, 1924-1928 -- The Julius Rosenwald Fund, Hoover, and the Depression, 1928-1930 -- Final year and postmortem, 1931-1949 -- Conclusion.