Misplaced Pages

John C. Koch
From History of Milwaukee from its first settlement to the year 1895 (1895)
31st Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In office June 26, 1893 – April 1896
Preceded by	Henry Hase (acting mayor)
Succeeded by	William C. Rauschenberger
Personal details
Born	John Carl August Koch (1841-10-18)October 18, 1841 Rostock, Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
Died	November 8, 1907(1907-11-08) (aged 66) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of death	Pneumonia
Resting place	Forest Home Cemetery, Milwaukee
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Elizabeth Pritzlaff ​(m. 1864)​
Children	9
Relatives	John C. Pritzlaff (father-in-law)
Occupation	Tinsmith, businessman
Signature

John Carl August Koch (October 18, 1841 – November 8, 1907) was a German American immigrant, businessman, and Republican politician. He was the 31st mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was largely responsible for the creation of Concordia University Wisconsin.

Early life

John C. Koch was born on October 18, 1841, in the city of Rostock, in what is now northeast Germany. At the time of his birth, this was part of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, in the German Confederation. He was educated until age 13 in his hometown, then emigrated to the United States with his family in 1854. They came directly to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Koch completed his education and apprenticed as a tinsmith with his father.

Business career

In 1861, at age 20, Koch began working as foreman of the tinshop for the hardware firm John Pritzlaff & Company. While working there, he began courting Elizabeth Pritzlaff, the daughter of the company's founder, John C. Pritzlaff, and they married in 1864. By 1866, Koch was chief clerk and partner in the firm. In 1884, the company was incorporated as the John Pritzlaff Hardware Company, with Koch as vice president. Within a decade, management of the business was almost entirely turned over to Koch. It is largely attributed to Koch that the company grew from a small retail store in 1866 to one of the largest wholesale hardware sellers in the Midwest by 1894.

In addition to the hardware store, which was Koch's primary business interest, he was also president of the Koch & Loeber Company, which manufactured woodenware and supplies. He was president of the Milwaukee Exposition Company, a director of the Concordia Fire Insurance Company, and a member of the Milwaukee Advancement Association.

Politics

Koch was a staunch Republican and was active for many years in the party. In 1892, the Republican Party of Wisconsin chose Koch as their nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin. He had never run for elected office before and was selected largely because of his business and civic prominence—especially among Wisconsin's German protestant population. He ran alongside former U.S. senator John Coit Spooner, the Republican candidate for Governor, but both lost out to incumbent Democrats in the general election. For Koch's race, he fell 6,800 votes short, slightly better than Spooner's 7,600 vote deficit.

The following year, in June 1893, Peter J. Somers resigned as mayor of Milwaukee after he won a special election for United States House of Representatives. City council president Henry Hase served as acting mayor and a special election was called to fill the remaining year of the mayoral term. Koch received the nomination of the Republican Party and prevailed in the general election with a majority of about 3,300, out of about 20,100 votes cast.

Koch took office in the midst of the Panic of 1893, and his term as mayor was largely colored by this economic crisis. Shortly after his election, the Wisconsin Marine & Fire Insurance Company Bank was forced to halt payments, due to lack of funds. The Marine & Fire Insurance Bank was a legendary and well-respected financial institution, opened in 1839 and led in 1893 by U.S. senator John L. Mitchell. The bank's failure was a shock around the country, and was felt most acutely in Milwaukee, where most of the depositors resided. The city of Milwaukee was one of the bank's major creditors, and Koch was able to assist the rescue of bank with an offer to restructure their debt. The bank reopened in January 1894, to much congratulations and celebration.

Koch's time in office also coincided with the shocking assassination of Chicago mayor Carter Harrison by a delusional office-seeker. Koch, who also received numerous solicitations and threats from random citizens, significantly increased security at city hall.

Koch was seen as a capable and competent leader through the economic panic, and was re-elected to a full two-year term as mayor in 1894. That summer, at the 1894 Republican state convention, Koch was widely supported as a candidate for Governor of Wisconsin, but he ultimately withdrew his name and pledged to serve his full term as Mayor.

Personal life

John C. Koch married Elizabeth Pritzlaff in 1864. They had 6 sons and 3 daughters.

In addition to his business and political ventures, Koch was deeply involved in education and religious issues. He was considered one of the most prominent Lutherans in Wisconsin, and worked within the church community to establish Concordia University Wisconsin, where he served on the board of trustees for much of the rest of his life.

Koch died at his home in Milwaukee on November 8, 1907, after suffering from pneumonia for three years.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1892)

Milwaukee Mayor (1893, 1894)

Notes

1. ^ Many sources describe his place of birth as "near Hamburg", but some specifically state his place of birth as Rostock, Mecklenburg, which is somewhat near Hamburg. His sister was also known to have been born in Mecklenburg. Given these data points, I went with Rostock as his place of birth.

References

1. ^ Conard, Howard L. (1895). History of Milwaukee from its first settlement to the year 1895. Vol. 1. American Biographical Publishing Co. pp. 354–355. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
2. ^ Men of Progress, Wisconsin. The Evening Wisconsin Company. 1897. pp. 596–597. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Library of Congress.
3. "John C. Koch". The Watertown News. August 24, 1892. p. 4. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
4. ^ Cunningham, Thomas J., ed. (1893). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 623. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
5. "John C. Koch Chosen as Mayor of Milwaukee". The St. Paul Globe. June 25, 1893. p. 12. Retrieved August 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ "Koch's Majority". Oshkosh Northwestern. June 26, 1893. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Marine Bank Opens". Chicago Tribune. January 16, 1894. p. 3. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Cranks Threaten Mayor Koch". Chicago Tribune. November 17, 1893. p. 3. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ "In the Badger State". Alton Telegraph. April 5, 1894. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Former Mayor of the Cream City Expires". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. November 9, 1907. p. 1. Retrieved February 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Former Mayor of Milwaukee Dead". Kenosha News. November 11, 1907. p. 3. Retrieved August 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

This article about a mayor in Wisconsin is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• 1841 births
• 1907 deaths
• 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin
• People from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
• Immigrants to the United States
• Mayors of Milwaukee
• Wisconsin Republicans
• Wisconsin mayor stubs