When 18-year-old John Nicholas Doukas (Ιωάννης Νικολάος Δούκας) stepped off the S.S. Obdam and onto the Ellis Island pier on April 12, 1892, he had no concept of the dramatic turn that his life would take. Arriving with 12 compatriots from the rural settlement of Fregkras, Greece,1 he had $1.252 in his pocket. He knew no English and had no family in America. He skipped buying himself dinner his first night in order to purchase bananas the next morning. For long hours, he peddled the fruit on the streets of Manhattan and Harlem, continuously reinvesting his daily profits. It wasn’t long before he had accumulated enough money to start a fruit stand. In 1895, merely three years after his arrival, he had saved enough to open a candy store at 59 Avenue B in Manhattan. With no education3, no mentor and no support, John augmented hard work with his innate business sense and inherent morals, making his rise as a businessman astounding.
photo: Neil B. Dukas Archives
John’s first candy store, The Alexandria, was a resounding success and after some years, he opened a second establishment, Temple of Delight. People flocked to these stores for the high quality confections and to enjoy kind, generous personal attention from its owner. John supported his neighborhood by actively participating and holding offices in local organizations.
John’s philosophy was to give away his money to the needy and to “die poor.”4 He was an orphan, and the poverty of his childhood rested in his soul. He was reminded of his own sufferings when he saw the needs of others, and he resolved to do what was within his purview to alleviate the heaviness and bring a glimmer of joy to those who suffered. “We cannot take our money away with us. We have it only for a time. Health and happiness alone matter. After all, money is bad because it causes too much worry,” he stated in an interview.5
From his earliest years, John made giving his priority. “I want to throw some sunshine into the lives of the poor, for I know how dull and drab life may seem to them,” he told his wife, Constantina.6 He began sharing his wealth via annual charity sprees. “During a whole week, his activities are confined in distributing the profits made during the preceding fifty-one weeks. Thousands of thousands of boxes of candy are given away, the neighborhood is decorated, and music, dancing and refreshments are given away to all,” was reported by the National Business Review.7 Donations of 10-15,000 boxes of candy as well as toys, merchandise and cash were distributed to charitable institutions around the city: homes for the aged, hospitals, orphanages and institutions. Soon, newspapers began reporting on his philanthropic activities.
John’s penchant for giving caused him legal woes in 1920. He was arrested for “conducting a lottery” when he tucked $1 bills into boxes of candy to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his business! One can only laugh…
John’s generosity extended beyond Manhattan to his village in Greece. In 1918, he founded the Prophet Elias Society in Manhattan, whose mission was to benefit poor and orphaned children in the area of Zarakas, Lakonia, Greece, where his settlement was situated. He erected a village school and sent sufficient money to establish an orphanage that housed 400 children in sixteen counties around Sparta.8
Around 1902, John married Constantina Gavaris who had immigrated from the Lakonian village of Anavryti. They had eight children; one died in infancy. Their son, Angelo John, married my father’s sister, Georgia Kostakos, which gives me a kinship-via-marriage relationship to this amazing man!
photo: Neil B. Dukas Archives
By 1919, John was a thriving businesman who had obtained wealth and social status. He hosted state and local officials at his home in Woodhaven, and received letters from U.S. Presidents Hoover and Coolidge. But of paramount importance, he was revered by thousands as a kind and generous benefactor who “threw sunshine” upon the needy on both sides of the Atlantic. His story not only surpasses the American dream, but also reveals the soul of a truly great man.
1Fregkras is now Lampokapos, Zarakas, Lakonia, Greece, about 70 miles southeast of Sparta
2The passenger ship manifest lists $12 as his arrival sum, but subsequent interviews of John relate that he disembarked with $1.25
3John had no schooling; he signed his World War I Draft Registration with an “x”
4“Confectioner Spreads Cheer,” The New York American, December 27, 1925, page 4
5“Greek Confectioner is Off on His Annual Charity Spree”, New York Evening Journal, June 22, 1925, page 2
6“Came over in Steerage Broke-Found Wealth in New York,” The Evening World, Tuesday, June 6, 1922, page 24
7“The Golden Rule in Business,” National Business Review. Undated article, in possession of Carol Kostakos Petranek and Neil B. Dukas
8Ibid
My sincere appreciation to Neil B. Dukas for chronicling John’s story, establishing a website, and sharing information with me.
Below are links to a few of the news articles about John:
1906 April – San Francisco Earthquake contribution
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C3H2-J9V1-2?view=fullText
1913 Sep 7 – $200 Diamond in Ice Cream
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10449-7947294/the-sun
1919 July 22 – Rihioton Society meeting at estate of John Doukas
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3CR-SDPP
1919 August 6 – Baby Christening
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10449-1046358/new-york-tribune
1919 Aug 6 – Bishop to Christen Baby
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10449-8046384/the-sun
1920 January 19 – Tavales Church Art
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10449-8051273/the-sun
1920 April 21, Arrested
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3Z2-YX7N?view=fullText
1920 Poor Children to Receive Candy
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10449-7749775/the-evening-world
1922 June 6 Paino & Doukas Stories
https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-10449-7760322/the-evening-world
1925 June 22 – Confectioner Spending Spree
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-J38F-ZLX
1925 June 22 – Doukas Goes on His Annual Charity Spree
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3ZM-J4WS
1921 December 21 – 15,000 boxes candy Christmas donation
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-F3CR-SVFL
1925 December 23 – Generous Santa
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-J38F-ZLX
1925 December 27 – Confectioner Spreads Cheer
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-N3CR-SJP2
