Obadiah Lum Sypher

Obadiah Lum Sypher (October 10, 1833 – August 18, 1907) was an American businessman and furniture maker. Originally a furniture store clerk in Manhattan, he bought out his employer, which later became Sypher & Co., and presided over the firm's growth in profitability and clientele. Biography Sypher was born on October 10, 1833, in Flushing prior to its consolidation with New York City.

According to E. J. Sypher, Sypher's company was part of the aestheticism trend, and Sypher himself "may be said to have had lasting influence on the appreciation of the decorative arts in the United States". In addition to other private collections, works sold or made by Sypher's firm have survived in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of the City of New York, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Preservation Society of Newport County, and Rhode Island School of Design Museum.

Despite its initial success, Sypher's company went down under amidst 1890s recessions, and significantly downsized after paying off debts reaching $83,404 and selling off large parts of its inventory in two major auctions. Sypher died on August 18, 1907, at his home in East Orange, New Jersey following a period of heart disease; he was 73.