Murray history

In 1919 Arthur Murray enrolled at Georgia Tech for business administration and taught dance in his spare time at the Grill Room of the resort hotel, the Georgian Terrace.

He began producing hair products out of his Chicago barber shop in 1925.

Donald Gaines Murray, the first African American to gain admittance to the University of Maryland’s law school (after a protracted legal battle in the 1930’s)

Arthur Murray founded his Arthur Murray dance studio chain in America in 1938.

By 1946, there were 72 franchised studios grossing almost $20 million per year and Arthur Murray was incorporated.

Arthur Murray began his venture into the world of television by buying five 15-minute spots on CBS in July 1950.

1952: 'Arthur Murray Dance Party' signs with their first sponsor, General Foods.

He won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing in 1954.

Harry Berlin, a Detroit area pharmacist, purchased Murray's in 1959.

His father made two thousand dollars a year operating a general merchandise store “that catered largely to Negroes,” Murray recalled in Turn Backward O Time In Your Flight, his 1960 reminiscence of growing up on Edisto Island.

1964: Arthur Murray retires from active participation in the organization and George B. Theiss, along with Phillip Master, Samuel Costello, and other investors, buy the company.

In 1967, Theiss coined the phrase 'Touch Dancing' to refer to social or partnership dancing.

1968: George B. Theiss coins the phrase 'Touch Dancing,' popular among the Latin dances.

In 1987 he sold it to Robert Mermell.

Samuel Costello died in 1995.

By 1996, Latin dances were extremely popular.

After reaching several major finals and just falling short he finally won an Olympic gold medal in 2012.