Edward Uihlein

Edward Gustav Uihlein (19 October 1845 - 25 January 1921) was a German American business executive, horticulturist, real estate investor, and philanthropist. He was best known as the vice president of the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company.

Early life and education
Eduard Güstav Ühlein was the 3rd of 9 children born to Josef Benedikt Ühlein and Katharina,(née Krug). His parents were proprietors of the Gasthaus zur Krone (the Crown), a popular Inn in Wertheim. As a child he played the violin and was a member of the Catholic church choir. In 1849 his maternal Uncle, Georg “August” Krug opened a small brewing business in Milwaukee, WI that eventually became the Joseph Schlitz Brewery.

Business career
Uihlein was educated in Wertheim but left school at age 14 to take on a mercantile apprenticeship working for Joseph Knapp in Miltenberg.

In June 1864, Uihlein accompanied the Uhrig family and emigrated to St. Louis where he worked for grocer Fred Vodde, who promoted him to bookkeeper. After a year working for Vodde he was hired by Kuntz & Hoffmeister's Pacific Brewery as an accountant.

With the financial support of his brothers (August and Henry), he opened a grocery store in 1865, but sold it to invest in a manufacturing facility where he also sold industrial oils and greases. During this time, he gained notoriety for inventing an improved wagon wheel grease. With his quick-found success, he moved to Chicago to be closer to his biggest client; Chase, Hanford & Co. There, he opened a second factory and a metal wagon parts store in 1867. His businesses survived the Fire of 1871, and although very successful in his own rite, he accepted the invitation from Joseph Schlitz to head the brewery’s Chicago markets in 1872.

In 1873, he became a naturalized citizen which was also the same year Schlitz Brewing Company was incorporated. On May 7, 1875, when Joseph Schlitz died at sea, the company continued operations under the leadership of the 6 Uihlein brothers:  Henry, president; Edward - vice president; August - secretary, and chief operating officer; Alfred - superintendent and Brew Master; William - assistant superintendent of the brewery; Charles - superintendent of the bottling works.

When Mrs. Schlitz died in 1887, she willed her shares of the company to be divided between August, Edward, Henry, and Alfred Uihlein; giving the Uihlein family complete ownership of the corporation.

He officially retired from the Schlitz Corporation in 1915 at the age of 70.

Personal life
On January 28, 1875, Edward married Augusta Manns, a native of St. Louis, in Chicago.

Together they had 6 children: Clara (Trostel), Edgar John, Olga (Beneke), Richard, Ella (Seipp), Melita (Seipp). Coincidentally, Edward’s brother Charles married Augusta’s sister Emma in 1878.

In 1877 Uihlein commissioned the architecture firm of Frommann & Jebsen to construct a house on Beer Baron’s Row in the Wicker Park neighborhood at 2041 W. Pierce Avenue (originally 34 Ewing Place). He lived there until his death, shortly after which it was demolished.

Horticulture
Uihlein was a world traveler and particularly interested in park beautification. He sought out rare tropical plants and orchids for his personal collection and he owned the largest private conservatory in Chicago. In 1893, at the World’s Columbian Exposition (Chicago World’s Fair), Uihlein supplied most of the flowers and shrubs for the gardens.

From 1894 to 1899, he served on the West Chicago Park Commission, a precursor to the Chicago Park District, and was called an "outspoken friend of flowers and plants." He is credited with creating Garfield Park’s famous orchid exhibits. When ousted from his post on the commission he blamed it; "according to the American custom by the dictation of Politicians," and declared; "never again will I have anything to do with a political position.”

In 1904 he was elected president of the Chicago Horticultural Society, the predecessor of the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Illinois.

Real estate
In 1899, Uihlein purchased 134 acres on the west end of Geneva Lake and named the estate “Forest Glen.” He commissioned his friend Jens Jensen from the Chicago Parks Department to create a beautiful landscape on the property. This helped Jensen immensely by giving him the confidence and connections to start his own firm. Uihlein kept the estate open to the public for all to enjoy. Unfortunately, the house burned to the ground in 1922 and the land was subdivided.

Edward Uihlein is considered a major contributor to Chicago’s architectural landscape, responsible for the commissioning and construction of 57 Schlitz tied-houses from 1897 to 1905. Many of the buildings included the Schlitz logo, which Uihlein hired sculptor Richard Bock to create for the company in 1893.

10 of the former Schlitz tied-houses and one stable building have been given landmark status by the Chicago City Council.

The addresses include: 958 W. 69th St., 3456 S. Western Ave., 2159 W. Belmont Ave., 3159 N. Southport Ave., 11400 S. Front Ave. and 11314 S. Front Ave., 1393-1399 W. Lake St., 9401 S. Ewing Ave., 1944 N. Oakley Ave., 1801 W. Division St., 5120 N. Broadway.

Additionally, he was a founding member of the Chicago Heights Land Association.

Philanthropy
Uihlein was very generous to causes he believed in, especially ones located in his hometown and his homeland:

Chicago

Uihlein was a prominent and socially active figure in Chicago’s German American community. He served on boards of charitable, artistic, and ethnic organizations. He was a member of the Chicago Historical Society, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Germania Club, the German Press Club, a director of the German Opera House Company, and president of the German Men's Choral Society (the Germania Männerchor).

Among other prized artworks, he donated a reduced copy of the "King Frederick the Great" sculpture, created by Christian Daniel Rauch, to the Art Institute in 1894. The Uihlein Plaza behind The Chicago History Museum was named in his honor.

Wertheim

Uihlein supported his fatherland by heading the Ostpreußenhilfe chapter of Illinois; raising relief funds for towns that were damaged by the Russian occupation of Eastern Prussia in 1914. He further supported his hometown of Wertheim by donating money to the orphan’s home, schools, the women’s association, the May lottery, and the home for the blind. In gratitude, he was named honorary citizen of Wertheim and the Edward Uihlein School is named in his honor.

A monument stone located at Brückengasse 4 in Wertheim is inscribed: “Former Gasthaus zur Krone, birthplace of the honorary citizens of the city of Wertheim – Edward G Uihlein in Chicago and William J. Uihlein in Milwaukee, and their siblings.”

Death
Uihlein died on January 25, 1921, at his daughter Clara’s home in Milwaukee and is buried in German Waldheim (N/K/A: Forest Home) Cemetery in Forest Park, IL. His estate at the time was worth $1.2 million and was divided equally among his surviving children.