Nahim Abraham

Nahim Abraham (February 15, 1885 – January 10, 1965) was a Lebanese-American merchant and philanthropist who took a leading role in the 20th century development of Canadian, the county seat of Hemphill County in the Texas Panhandle near the Oklahoma border.

Nahim Abraham
Born	(1885-02-15)February 15, 1885 Kafarakab, Lebanon
Died	January 10, 1965(1965-01-10) (aged 79) Canadian, Hemphill County Texas, USA
Resting place	Edith Ford Cemeteries in Canadian, Texas
Occupation	Businessman, philanthropist
Spouse(s)	Alia Abdullah Bulos Malouf Abraham
Children	Naceeb L. Abraham Tom Abraham Malouf Abraham, Sr. Edward Abraham
Relatives	Malouf Abraham, Jr. (grandson) Salem Abraham (great-grandson)

Early years in Texas

Born Nahim Malouf in the village of Kafarakab, Lebanon, Abraham made three trips to the United States before deciding to relocate. He lived briefly in Utah and later moved to Amarillo, Texas, with his wife, the former Alia Abdullah Bulos (1883-1979), the daughter of a physician, and their two older sons, Naceeb L. Abraham (1907-2000), who operated an office supply business in Amarillo,[1] and Tom Abraham (1910-2007), who later purchased his father's mercantile business. The Maloufs took the name "Abraham" while being processed at Ellis Island in New York City. In the summer of 1913, the Abrahams made their permanent home in Canadian, Texas, where they had two more sons, Malouf Abraham, Sr., and Edward Abraham (1917-1961). His given name is the original family surname. In 1913, Abraham established the "Fair Store", a department store known regionally for its quality dry goods merchandise.[2][3][4]

At the time The Fair Store was established, the cattle business was booming with hundreds of drovers in need of supplies. Eventually, the Abrahams moved beyond retailing to real estate and cattle. When ranching began to decline, Malouf, Sr., began to trade oil and natural gas leases.[5] Nahim retired, and the Fair Store was acquired in 1949 by Tom and his wife, Helen.[6]

Community builder

Abraham was an elder in the First Presbyterian Church of Canadian, and his son, Tom, worked to establish the existing sanctuary of the church.[7] In 1950, Abraham purchased the Moody Hotel in Canadian, which had been founded in 1903 by the rancher and banker Robert Moody. After his son Edward died in 1961 at the age of forty-four, Abraham and his other sons endowed the Edward Abraham Memorial Home, a still-standing nursing facility in Canadian named in Edward's honor.[2]

Abraham died of a heart attack early in 1965, about five weeks before he would have turned eighty.

References

1. "The Syrian and Lebanese Texans: Nahim Abraham (1913)". digital.utsa.edu. 1974. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
2. H. Allen Anderson. "Abraham, Nahim". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
3. The Texas State Historical Association used these sources in its biographical sketch of Nahim Abraham: Amarillo Daily News, January 11, 1965; Sallie B. Harris, Cowmen and Ladies: A History of Hemphill County (Canyon, Texas: Staked Plains, 1977), and Stanley F. L. Crocchiola, The Canadian, Texas, Story (Nazareth, Texas, 1975).
4. The information from the Texas State Historical Association, along with a 1920s picture of the Fair Store, can be accessed at the website of the River Valley Pioneer Museum in Canadian: "Nahim Abraham, Merchant". River Valley Pioneer Museum. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
5. Nancy F. Smith (May 26, 2012). "In Unfamiliar Territory: How managed-futures trader Salem Abraham plans to end his recent losing streak. Going long British gilts, German bunds, and canola". Barron's. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
6. "Helen Abraham". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. February 15, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2014.
7. "Tom Abraham". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. February 9, 2007. Retrieved September 20, 2014.