William D. Orthwein

William D. Orthwein
Born William David Orthwein
February 9, 1841
Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany
Died 1925
Residence Orthwein Mansion, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation Businessman
Net worth US$2 million[1]
Spouse(s) Emily H. Thuemmler
Children Frederick C. Orthwein
Percy Orthwein
William R. Orthwein
Parent(s) Frederick Charles Orthwein
Louise Lidle
Relatives Charles F. Orthwein (brother)
William R. Orthwein Jr. (grandson)

William David Orthwein (1841–1925) was a German-born American Civil War veteran and grain merchant in St. Louis, Missouri.

Early life

William David Orthwein was born on February 9, 1841 in Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany.[2][3] His father was Frederick Charles Orthwein and his mother, Louise Lidle. He had a brother, Charles F. Orthwein.[2][4]

Career

Orthwein emigrated to the United States in 1860, arriving in Lincoln, Illinois, to work as a salesman.[2] Two years later, in 1862, he joined his brother in St. Louis, Missouri to work for his grain commission business, Haenshen & Orthwein.[2] Meanwhile, he served in the Union Army during the American Civil War of 1861–1865.[2]

After the war, Orthwein resumed work for Haenshen & Orthwein.[2] By 1870, he worked for his brother's grain shipping firm, Orthwein & Mersman (co-founded by Charles F. Orthwein and Joseph J. Mersman),[4] up until 1879.[2] The firm shipped grains to Europe from St. Louis, via New Orleans, Louisiana and Galveston, Texas.[2] In 1879, it became known as Orthwein Brothers,[4] and it was in business until 1893.[2]

Orthwein founded the William D. Orthwein Grain Company in 1893.[2] It was "the oldest grain firm in St. Louis."[2] He hired his son Frederick to work with him until 1900, when he retired.[2]

Furthermore, Orthwein served as the President of the St. Louis Victoria Flour Mills.[2] He also served as the Vice President of the Manufacturers Railway Company, while Adolphus Busch served as its President.[5] He served on the Boards of Directors of the Mississippi Valley Trust Company and the Kinloch Telephone Company.[2] He also served on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Merchants Exchange, and he was a member of the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce.[2]

Personal life

Orthwein married Emily H. Thuemmler on June 9, 1870.[2][6] They resided at the Orthwein Mansion at 15 Portland Place in St. Louis, Missouri for 27 years.[6]

Orthwein was a member of the Log Cabin Club and the Union Club, two private members' clubs in St. Louis, Missouri.[2] He donated to the Mullanphy Emigrant Relief Fund.[2]

Death and legacy

Orthwein died in 1925.[1] He was worth US$2 million upon his death.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Other Counties.". Warrenton Banner. Warrenton, Missouri. September 25, 1925. p. 2. Retrieved October 7, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Stevens, Walter Barlow (1921). Centennial history of Missouri (the center state) one hundred years in the Union, 1820–1921. 5. St. Louis & Chicago: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 758–761. OCLC 1577514.
  3. Yale University. Class of 1903 (1906). War Record and Record of Quindecennial Reunion. Yale University. p. 213. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Fisher, Linda A. (2007). The Whiskey Merchant's Diary: An Urban Life in the Emerging Midwest. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press. p. xxix. ISBN 9780821417454. OCLC 76074264.
  5. "Busch to Tunnel Under the River. Manufacturers' Railway Plans $3,000,000 Route Through the Mississippi for New Terminal System. New Gulf Road for City. Kansas City Southern to Enter St. Louis--Bush Making War on Iron Mountain--St. Paul's Activity". Alton Evening Telegraph. Alton, Illinois. January 20, 1906. p. 3. Retrieved October 8, 2015 via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Hunter, Julius K.; Pettus, Robert C.; Lujan, Leonard (1988). Westmoreland and Portland Places: The History and Architecture of America's Premier Private Streets, 1888–1988. University of Missouri Press. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-0-8262-0677-0. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
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