{{Short description|American businessman (1930–2012)}} thumb|Murray Lender. '''Murray Isaac Lender''' (October 29, 1930 – March 21, 2012) was an American businessman and entrepreneur who helped expand his father's small, Connecticut bagel bakery, Lender's Bagels, into a nationwide brand.<ref name=usatoday>{{cite news|first=Dave |last=Collins|title=Murray Lender, who helped build bagel empire, dies at 81|url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/story/2012-03-22/obit-murray-lender-bagels/53699514/1 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=USA Today |date=2012-03-22 |access-date=2012-04-19}}</ref> Murray Lender served as the chief executive officer of Lender's, while his brother, Marvin, served as the company's president.<ref name=usatoday/> Under Murray Lender, Lender's Bagels began selling frozen bagels to supermarkets in 1960, introducing many American consumers to the bagel for the first time.<ref name=usatoday/><ref name=nytimes>{{cite news|first=Dennis|last=Hevesi|title=Murray Lender, Who Gave All America a Taste of Bagels, Dies at 81 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/business/murray-lender-dies-at-81-gave-all-america-a-taste-of-bagels.html |work=New York Times |date=2012-03-22 |access-date=2012-04-19|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220205120904/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/business/murray-lender-dies-at-81-gave-all-america-a-taste-of-bagels.html|archive-date=5 February 2022}}</ref><ref name=wp/> The ''Washington Post'' called Lender "the most important man in the modern history of bagels."<ref name=wp>{{cite news|first=Lily|last=Rothman|title=Murray Lender, the man who brought bagels to the masses |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/murray-lender-the-man-who-brought-bagels-to-the-masses/2012/03/23/gIQACt47VS_story.html |newspaper=Washington Post |date=2012-03-23 |access-date=2012-04-19}}</ref> Murray Lender also became known to the public for appearing in a series of television commercials for Lender's Bagels.<ref name=usatoday/>
Murray Lender's father, Harry Lender, immigrated from Lublin, Poland, to the United States in 1927.<ref name=usatoday/> That same year, Harry opened a small bagel bakery in New Haven, Connecticut, which catered to the city's Eastern European Jewish community.<ref name=usatoday/><ref name=wp/> His wife, Rose Braiter Lender, and their three oldest children, Hyman,Sam and Anna followed Harry Lender to the United States in 1929.<ref name=usatoday/>
Murray Lender was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on October 29, 1930.<ref name=usatoday/><ref name=nytimes/> He graduated from Junior College of Commerce, which is now known as Quinnipiac University.<ref name=nytimes/> Later, as chairman of Quinnipiac's Board of Trustees, he heard Quinnipiac President John L. Lahey give talks on the history of the Great Hunger in Ireland, and as a result donated funds to create the Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum at Quinnipiac. "A lot of Irish and Irish American artists and supporters helped to make this day possible, but without the support of a son of a Jewish immigrant from Poland who saw parallels in our experience we wouldn't be ...(able to).. dedicate this new facility. That's a proof of how important this story is to all immigrants," Lahey said.<ref>"Cahir O'Doherty 'First ever Great Hunger museum opens next month in the US' Irish Central' 26 Sept 2012" http://www.irishcentral.com/news/first-ever-great-hunger-museum-opens-next-month-in-the-us-171316181-237753711.html</ref>
Three brothers - Sam and Murray and Marvin - entered the family's bagel business, called H. Lender's and Sons.<ref name=nytimes/> Harry Lender died in 1958 and the brothers began freezing bagels for sale in 1960.<ref name=usatoday/> Murray also came up with the idea of pre-slicing bagels.<ref>{{cite news |title=Murray Lender |url=https://www.economist.com/obituary/2012/04/21/murray-lender |newspaper=The Economist |date=21 April 2012 |access-date=30 August 2012}}</ref> Murray Lender and his family sold Lender's Bagels to Kraft Foods in 1984.<ref name=usatoday/> The brand was acquired by the Pinnacle Foods Group in 2003.<ref name=usatoday/>
Murray Lender died at a hospital in Miami, Florida, on March 21, 2012, at the age of 81.<ref name=usatoday/> He had suffered injuries in a fall ten weeks earlier at his home in Aventura, Florida.<ref name=usatoday/> He was survived by his children Carl Lender, Haris Lender and Jay Lender and 6 grandchildren.<ref name=usatoday/>
==References== {{commons category}} {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lender, Murray}} Category:1930 births Category:2012 deaths Category:American chief executives in the food industry Category:Quinnipiac University alumni Category:Businesspeople from New Haven, Connecticut Category:People from Aventura, Florida Category:Accidental deaths in Florida Category:Accidental deaths from falls in the United States Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:20th-century American Jews Category:Bagels Category:21st-century American Jews