USA > Wisconsin > Milwaukee County > Milwaukee > History of Milwaukee, city and county, Volume II > Part 57
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JOHN PETER MOLITOR.
More than a third of a century has come and gone since John Peter Molitor was called to the home beyond and yet the business activities which he established and promoted are still factors in the commercial growth and development of Milwaukee and stand as monuments to his enterprise, sagacity and capability.
Mr. Molitor was born in Boos, near Coblenz, Germany, January 15, 1819. His parents were also natives of that place and were prosperous farming people, the father also owning and conducting a general store. With the prestige of the success achieved by his parents, Mr. Molitor engaged in business in Germany as a dyer and as a general tradesman. He concentrated his efforts and attention closely upon the enterprises which he established until 1875, when he determined to try his fortune in the new world and enjoy, if possible, its broader opportunities for industrial and commercial advancement. Accordingly he bade adieu to friends and native country and sailed for the United States accompanied by his family, arriving at New York city on the 24th of August, 1873.
On the 27th of the same month Mr. Molitor came to Milwaukee and here looked about for favorable business openings. His ready discrimination enabled him to see advantages that others passed heedlessly by and after a brief period he established a box manufactory, beginning business on a small scale. In company with his son Anton he opened the factory in 1874, and although the establishment was small in the beginning, the business steadily increased and was enlarged from time to time to meet the growing demands of the trade. When Mr. Molitor passed away on the 28th of February, 1885, he left a well established business to the management of his son Hubert, who had shared with him the labor of developing and promoting the enterprise and who as the result of his practical experience was able to conduct the factory with energy and skill until he, too, was called to his final rest in the year 1896. The management of the business then devolved upon his sister, Miss Mary Molitor, a daughter of the founder, who had been actively assisting her father and brother and who with characteristic courage and progressiveness utilized every opportunity to improve the business and enlarge the factory. With the cooperation of J. P. Hummel, an able assistant, she carried on the business most successfully and in fact the enter- prise received an impetus that brought it to the front as one of the great productive industries of Milwaukee. Originally the factory had a capacity of four hundred boxes a day, but with the increased trade and enlarged facilities the factory now has a daily output of forty thousand boxes. The plant is thoroughly modern in its equip- ment, being supplied with the latest improved machinery, and the output in every way meets the demand of the public. Miss Molitor remained at the head of the business until her demise, when her property was inherited by her sister.
John Peter Molitor, the founder of the Molitor Box Company, was united in marriage to Miss Anna Maria Thelen and they became the parents of two sons and two daughters. The sons, Hubert and Anton, have both passed away. The former married Miss Hedwig Kraniger and they became parents of a daughter, Anna, who is now the wife of Jacob Schmidt. Katharine, daughter of Jobn Peter Molitor, is now the widow of George Hormuth and has one son and one daughter, Catherine M. and George Molitor Hormuth, the latter now in charge of the Molitor box factory. The other daughter, Miss Mary Molitor, who was for several years the capable directing
JOHN P. MOLITOR
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head of the business, a woman of splendid executive ability and marked enterprise, passed away October 3, 1920.
John Peter Molitor was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church and was a lifelong democrat. He did not seek to figure prominently in public affairs, however, for his interest centered in his home. His wife passed away October 6, 1904, having for almost two decades survived her husband. In young womanhood, in Germany, she had taught schools in needlework, receiving a government appointment to the position because of her superior skill in this connection.
The only surviving member of the family is Mrs. Katharine Hormuth, who was married on the 10th of June, 1890. She is well known in Milwaukee, being a repre- sentative of one of the pioneer families-a family whose name has been most closely associated with the material development and progress of the city. The business established by her father, carried on by her brothers and sister and now owned by her- self, has for a number of years ranked as one of the foremost productive industries of Milwaukee. The name of Molitor has long been an honored one here, ever stand- ing as a synonym for progressiveness in business, enterprise in citizenship and prom- inence in the social circles of the city.
EVERETT G. SMITH.
Everett G. Smith, a veteran of the World war and one of the organizers and members in the George B. Smith Audit Company of Milwaukee, was born in this city, July 7, 1895, a son of George B. and Elisa (Geiger) Smith. The mother was also a native of Milwaukee, representing one of the pioneer families here. The father is now associated with the F. Mayer Boot & Shoe Company, as secretary of the firm and has long occupied a leading position in business circles of the city.
Everett G. Smith was educated in the public schools and in the University of Wisconsin but did not complete the course by reason of America's entrance into the World war. In 1918 he was accepted by the draft board and was at the Central Field Artillery Officer's Training School at Camp Taylor, Kentucky, when the armistice was signed. He was then mustered out in December, 1918. Returning to Milwaukee he became one of the organizers of the George B. Smith Audit Company, in which he was associated with William Wamser and H. F. Mau. The business was established April 30, 1919, and was incorporated under the laws of Wisconsin with Everett G. Smith, as the president and managing director. The company is engaged in business auditing, systematizing, investigating and income tax service. They have gained a large clientele and the year 1920 saw the business triple that which it was the previous year. Thus patronage is steadily and rapidly growing and the success of the under- taking is attributable in no small measure to the efforts, the enterprise and keen business discernment of Mr. Smith. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.
JOHN W. BURKHARDT.
Among the well known representatives of the Milwaukee bar is John W. Burk- hardt, a thorough student and an ethical follower of his profession, who has gained and deserves a liberal clientage. Born in this city August 11, 1882, he is a son of Phillip and Jane (Taylor) Burkhardt, who are also natives of Milwaukee and repre- sentatives of old families here. The grandfather in the maternal line was Thomas E. Taylor, who emigrated from England and took up his abode in Milwaukee county in 1838, settling at what is now Thirtieth street and North avenue, near the station of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad. Here he had two hundred acres of land, which was devoted to farming purposes and today the entire tract is divided into town lots and is solidly built upon. Mr. Taylor owned the first threshing machine seen in this section of the state, having purchased it at Racine and hauled it to Mil- waukee. In those early days he did all the threshing for the neighbors and all around him at that time was farm property, the change from agricultural to urban life occurring within the past thirty years. He had one of the first homes in this section and around lived many Indians, who were always friendly to him because of the kindly feelings he displayed toward them. He reared a large family, being the father of thirteen children. The grandfather of John W. Burkhardt in the paternal line was Henry Burkhardt, who was born in Berlin, Germany, as was his wife. They were married in New York city and came to Milwaukee about 1849. They had a small home at Teutonia and Hadley streets and there Henry Burkhardt carried on business as a contractor. He was closely associated with building operations in the early days, building many of the first homes of the city in his section. He died when com-
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paratively young and his widow afterward married Leonard Miller, who was related to the Dreher family, who were very prominent in the early days of the city.
Phillip Burkhardt, father of John W. Burkhardt, is a box manufacturer, having followed this business throughout his life. For a number of years he has been asso- ciated with the Mueller Box Manufacturing Company and the August Beck Box Manu- facturing Company.
John W. Burkhardt was educated in the public schools of Milwaukee and in the Marquette University, where he pursued the study of law, being graduated on the com- pletion of his law course with the class of 1909. The same year he was admitted to the bar and entered upon active practice immediately afterward. He had the honor of. being a graduate of the first class that completed the course in the Marquette University law department and his record has been a credit to his Alma Mater. During the years which have passed he has tried many cases of a varied character and tried them well. He handles all the points in evidence with the precision of a military commander marshaling his forces. He seems to lose sight of no point that bears upon his case and at the same time gives due emphasis to the important fact upon which the de- cision of every case finally rests. He belongs to both the Milwaukee County Bar Association and the State Bar Association and during the war period he was a member of the fourth district draft board as legal advisor.
In January, 1912, Mr. Burkhardt was married to Miss Jean MacGregor of Mil- waukee, and they have become parents of two children: Marcella, born October 14, 1912; and Bernice, born January 25, 1915. Mrs. Burkhardt is a daughter of James MacGregor, who has been superintendent of the greenhouses at the Forest Home cemetery since he came from Scotland to Milwaukee. He was married in his native land to Miss Jeanie Melrose, on the 6th of April, 1886, and immediately after they started for the new world, their voyage to America constituting their honeymoon trip. Since that time they have remained in Milwaukee and Mr. MacGregor is one of the prominent and successful florists of the city.
Mr. and Mrs. Burkhardt are well known here, where they have spent their lives and where their circle of friends is almost coextensive with the circle of their acquaint- ance. Mr. Burkhardt is a member of the Marquette Alumni Association, but has never been active in fraternal or club circles, his attention being concentrated upon his pro- fessional interests and duties, his devotion to his clients' interests heing proverbial.
WALDEMAR C. WEHE.
Waldemar C. Wehe, attorney at law, with offices in the First Wisconsin National Bank building, brought to the starting point of his career splendid qualifications developed through thorough educational training in the Wisconsin State University and in Columbia University of New York city. He is a native son of Milwaukee, born January 4, 1880, his parents being August M. and Maria (Schwassmann) Wehe, the former a native of this city. while the mother was born in Germany. The grandfather in the paternal line was John Peter Wehe, a native of Prussia, who arrived in Milwaukee in 1838 or 1839 and was naturalized in 1844. He was a truck gardener and had served in the war against Napoleon. His wife was a French woman, representative of one of the royal families of that country. One of the pioneer settlers of Milwaukee, he passed through the hardships of the early days and aided in laying the foundation upon which has been huilt the present progressive city. August M. Wehe was a traveling man for a number of years and in 1860 became engaged in the shoe business in Mil- waukee. He afterward was actively interested in gold and copper mining in the state of Washington, where he accumulated a competency that now enables him to live re- tired. He has returned to Milwaukee, where he is spending his days in the enjoy- ment of well earned rest.
Waldemar C. Wehe was educated in the schools of Milwaukee, attending the West Side high school, after which he entered the University of Wisconsin and won his B. L. degree. His first year of law was pursued in the Columbia University of New York city and his thorough training has well qualified him for the onerous pro- fessional duties that have devolved upon him. Returning from New York to Mil- waukee, he spent two more years as a student in the State University and was graduated with the LL. B. degree in 1905. In the same year he was admitted to the har and hegan practice in his native city. Advancement at the bar is proverbially slow and yet no dreary novitiate awaited him. He has always prepared his cases with great thoroughness and care and the public soon recognized the fact that he was an able advocate and a wise counselor. He has built up an extensive practice, making a specialty of corporation, real estate and probate law. He belongs to the Milwaukee County and Wisconsin State Bar Associations and enjoys the high respect and con- fidence of his colleagues and contemporaries in the profession.
On the 23d of October, 1907, Mr. Wehe was married to Miss Ruby M. Chapman of
WALDEMAR C. WEHE
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Milwaukee, and to them have been born two children, Waldemar, Jr., and Ruth Arda. who are with their parents at 744 Sberman boulevard.
In his political views Mr. Wehe has always been a republican. In 1912 he was elected aldermall from the twenty-second ward and was reelected in 1914, serving for two terms. He is a member of the Milwaukee Athletic Club and is a thirty-second degree Mason and member of Tripoli Temple of the Mystic Shrine. His activities have ever been of a character which have won for him the confidence and respect of his fellowmen and he is a worthy and prominent representative not only of the bar but of one of the old pioneer families of the city.
HENRY A. KIEFER.
Milwaukee came to be known many years ago as the Cream city, being the center of the dairy district at a period when Wisconsin largely concentrated her energies upon the dairy industry. In the course of years, however, there sprung up in Mil- waukee many important manufacturing interests until today the city is a great in- dustrial center, its ramifying trade connections reaching out to all parts of the country. Henry A. Kiefer is well known in this field, devoting his attention at the present time to the manufacture of spark plugs. He was born in Milwaukee, March 5, 1878, and is a son of John and Albertine (Boeder) Kiefer, the former a native of the Isle of Man, while the latter was born in Germany. The father arrived in Milwaukee in 1859 and the lady who afterward became his wife had made her way to this city with her parents about 1861.
Henry A. Kiefer obtained his education in the parochial schools and also spent two years as a pupil in the Tenth Ward public school. When his textbooks were put aside he started out to provide for his own support, and for about nine years was connected with the awning business owned by the Pretschold Company. For a similar period he engaged in railroading as a locomotive engineer. After spending several years as an accountant he became a partner in the Fireball Spark Plug Com- pany of Milwaukee, with factory at No. 591 Twelfth street. He occupies the office of secretary-treasurer, while Oscar W. Klann is the president. This company engages in the manufacture of the Fireball spark plug exclusively. This plug has been on the market for the past two years and is rapidly winning public favor, the company now having testimonials from hundreds of users of the best automobiles on the market. It is a great gas saver and is fast coming into universal demand. They have received letters expressing the utmost satisfaction from the users of heavy trucks and from many large business concerns, all indicating a recognition of the value of the plug which the company turns out. The company secured a state charter and was incor- porated with a capital stock of one hundred thousand dollars, and today its shipments are being sent to all parts of the United States. The trade is steadily and rapidly growing and there is scarcely a section of the country in which the automobile is known that the Fireball spark plug is not in use.
In 1913 Mr. Kiefer was married to Miss Albertine Leubke of Baraboo, Wisconsin. Fraternally he is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and with the Elks Club and he also has membership with the Masons, being a loyal and devoted follower of the craft. He started out in the business world without special advantages but by determination and indefatigable effort has steadily worked his way upward and is rapidly winning for himself a position in the front rank of the captains of industry in this city.
MORITZ H. TRAUB.
Moritz H. Traub, a well known figure in financial circles in Milwaukee, being president of the Layton Park State Bank, was born in Wurttemberg, Germany, August 27, 1875, his father being J. B. Traub, who was the originator in the movement which resulted in the erection of the Schiller-Goethe monument in Washington Park. He was a well known and highly respected citizen of Milwaukee, where he took up his abode in 1882, spending his remaining days here, his death occurring in 1903.
Moritz H. Traub was seven years of age when brought by his parents to this city and here he attended the little school known as No. 8 in the town of Greenfield, until he had completed the work of the second grade. Later his studies were pursued at night, for the family lived on a farm and his work was needed in the fields. He later attended the Spencerian Business College and further pursued his studies through the medium of the International Correspondence School. Starting out in the business world he developed his mechanical skill in young manhood by work in the machinery business. Later he was engaged in the conduct of a delicatessen store in 1908, in the
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building which he now occupies. There he carried on his store successfully until 1918, when he sold out. In the meantime, or in 1910, he had become identified with the automobile accessories business in the same building which he owns, his father having purchased the ground in 1889. Mr. Traub employs the very best mechanics that can he secured and has built up his husiness on the basis of real service and the goodwill of his patrons. This enterprise is owned solely by Mr. Traub. Still further extending his activities, he organized in November, 1918, the Layton Park State Bank and the stock was subscribed for in a very short time, the bank being capitalized for fifty thousand dollars. This institution has grown to be a very strong financial asset in the community. The doors were open for business in August, 1920, with Moritz H. Traub, as president; Dr. Henry J. Gramling, as vice president; and E. W. Behrens, cashier, while on the board of directors, in addition to the officers are: Henry Held, Michael Schneider, Anton Lohr, E. H. Meyer, Frank Herda, William Mitchell and A. G. Netter. The deposits of the institution are now about four hundred and fifty thousand dollars, a remarkable showing, for the bank has been in existence for less than a year. The bank building contains a public library owned by the city, also a fine dance hall and doctors offices. The dance hall is conducted according to the very highest standards, that the most carefully trained children may have here an environment thoroughly desirable to their parents.
On the 27th of October, 1908, Mr. Traub was united in marriage to Miss Tillie Schlungbaum of Sauk City, Wisconsin, who was a school teacher and a daughter of Charles Schlungbaum, who was mayor of Sauk City and leader of the band there for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Traub have two sons: Carl and Hugo, aged, respectively, eight and six years.
Mr. Traub has always devoted much time to the public interest and welfare of his community. He was secretary of the Layton Park school board before Layton became a part of Milwaukee and was very active in the annexation of the park to the city. He has stanchly supported all movements of benefit and his labors have ever been of a most practical character, producing desirable results.
KOEHRING COMPANY.
The Koehring Company, having one of the substantial business enterprises of Milwaukee, was organized in March, 1906, by Philip Koehring, William Koehring and Richard Kiel. It was formed under a partnership relation and in 1907 was incorporated under the name of the Koehring Machine Company, with a capital stock of twenty- five thousand dollars. In February, 1921, the name was changed to the Koehring Company and the authorized capital stock amounted to two million, five hundred thousand dollars of preferred stock and twenty-five thousand shares of common stock. The present officers of the company are: William J. Koehring, president; Philip A. Koehring, secretary and treasurer; and Richard Kiel, vice president.
The first location of the company was under the Sixteenth street viaduct in a small building, forty by one hundred feet. In 1909 an addition was made thirty by one hundred feet and in 1910 the company erected the first unit of its present plant, which at that time was a building one hundred and fifty by one hundred and seventy- five feet. The firm has been building each year since then, so that at the present time it has approximately three acres under roof, comprising the main plant and office located at Thirty-first and Concordia and a foundry building covering approxi- mately one acre at Thirty-first and Locust streets. These buildings are thoroughly modern and the main plant is constructed of reinforced concrete, while the foundry is of brick and of reinforced concrete. The office is a solid brick structure and highly modern in every respect, its equipment and furnishings being most attractive. The plant is one of the best lighted and most splendidly equipped establishments in the business districts of Milwaukee. A cafeteria is maintained in connection with the business, whereby two hundred men can obtain luncheon in thirty minutes. The plant normally employs ahout four hundred fifty people and is devoted to the manufacture of concrete mixers exclusively, having made a specialty of the building of a pavement mixer for concrete road building. The company has recently opened a department for the manufacture of locomotive cranes. Its output has a national distribution and it conducts its own sales offices and warehouses in the large centers of trade. Because of the rapid growth of the business, the firm has made no effort to export its product but is now organizing in order to handle a European trade. Its annual sales amount to three million dollars and it has the largest concrete mixer plant in the world. This is a concern of which Milwaukee has every reason to be proud, as it is one of her fore- most productive industries.
William J. and Philip A. Koehring, officials of the company, are both natives of Kiel, Wisconsin, while Richard Kiel was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The two brothers were reared in their native city and the educational advantages which they
PHILIP A. KOEHRING
WILLIAM J. KOEHRING
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enjoyed were those afforded by the public and high schools. They are both self-made men, having worked their way upward through many positions as the great percentage of the American boys have done. Their present business was their first independent venture and they have made of it a great success. Philip Koehring is the patentee of the paving mixer with boom and bucket distribution, which at that time seemed to have no particular use, but Mr. Koehring foresaw the era of concrete road building and went ahead with his patent, which has eventually come into its own, bringing the company a marvelous measure of success. His brother, William J. Koehring, became active in the business in 1910. He had previously been general superintendent of the Kiel Furniture Company and he is now the manager of the works of the Koehring Company. Philip Koehring is also the vice president of the Dravo Engineering Com- pany, builders of superheaters, and also is vice president of the Titan Truck Company. The third officer, Richard Kiel, has been actively connected with the business since 1918. He had previously occupied the position of cashier of the East Side Bank of Milwaukee and was likewise cashier of the State Bank of Kiel, Wisconsin.
Philip Koehring is a member of the Wisconsin Club, of the Milwaukee Athletic Club, Ozaukee Country Club, the Milwaukee Yacht Club, the Rotary Club, the Automo- bile Club and the City Club. He is also a director in the Young Men's Christian Association and has taken active part in its work for a number of years. He is married and has three sons: Calvin, Robert and Martin. William J. Koehring is married and has two daughters: Margaret and Alice; and a son, George. William J. Koehring belongs to the Milwaukee Athletic Club, Ozaukee Country Club, the City Club and to the Auto Club; also to the Engineers Society of Milwaukee. Thus both brothers are well known in social as well as business circles of the city and occupy an enviable position in the regard of their fellowmen. They have promoted and achieved notable success as the years have passed in the conduct of an enterprise which has been steadily promoted until it occupies a position of world leadership and their name is known throughout the civilized world wherever concrete mixers are used.
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