Samuel Lichtman

Samuel "Sammy" Lichtman (June 13, 1888 – March 11, 1958) was a Canadian bookseller, newsdealer, newspaper distributor, publisher and labour organizer based in Toronto, Ontario. A Jewish immigrant from Galicia, he began his career as a Toronto newsboy, became the first head of the Newsies Union, and in 1909 founded the newsstand business that later became Lichtman's, a chain of bookstores and newsstands. In 1938, he and printer Hanmer Burt Lloyd founded the weekly Toronto tabloid newspaper Flash.

Early life Lichtman was born in 1888 in Galicia, then part of Austria-Hungary. His surname was originally spelled Lichtmann, but he later dropped the second "n".

Lichtman's publication of racing information also resulted in legal proceedings under Ontario's Betting Information Act. He was prosecuted for publishing information concerning horse-racing odds, but the case was dismissed by Judge Denton on the grounds that the provincial legislation was beyond the jurisdiction of the Ontario legislature. The Crown appealed the dismissal in Rex v. Lichtman, but in September 1923 the Ontario Appellate Division unanimously dismissed the appeal. The five-judge panel held that the province's Betting Information Act was ultra vires because Parliament had already legislated on betting information through the Criminal Code. Attorney General William Folger Nickle subsequently announced that outstanding prosecutions under the provincial statute would be withdrawn.

In 1924, the partnership between Lichtman and Zipper became the subject of a separate civil dispute. Zipper sought a declaration dissolving the partnership, an accounting of the amounts owing between the partners and damages, alleging that the partnership's affairs had not been conducted satisfactorily. The parties ultimately consented to have the dispute referred to arbitration.

Personal life Lichtman used his earnings to bring members of his family to Canada from Europe. By 1913, his sister and her husband were living with him on Baldwin Street in Toronto.

He and his wife, Fanny, had four daughters: Grace, Marjorie, Eileen and Maxine. Fanny also worked in the family's stores. Their eldest daughter was born in 1920. His daughters later recalled that Lichtman worked from early morning until around midnight, rarely took holidays and had become a familiar figure in downtown Toronto.

Lichtman died in Toronto in 1958, aged 69.

Legacy The Lichtman name remained attached to the Toronto bookselling and newsstand business for decades after he had sold his stores. Under the Ruby family, Lichtman's eventually expanded to nine locations. By 2000, the chain carried more than 300 newspaper titles and approximately 5,000 magazines.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2000 with debts of approximately $2.8 million. Owner Gerry Ruby attributed its difficulties in part to competition from large bookstore chains including Chapters and Indigo and to the increasing availability of newspapers and other information on the Internet.