Charles Manegold Jr.
Charles Manegold Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, civic leader |
| Known for | President of Milwaukee-Waukesha Brewing Company; instrumental in establishing Milwaukee Parks Department |
Charles Manegold Jr. was instrumental in establishing the Milwaukee Parks Department and served as president of the Milwaukee-Waukesha Brewing Company, located at 155 South Water Street, Milwaukee. Born on September 15, 1851, in Milwaukee, he was the son of Charles Manegold, who emigrated from Braunschweig, Germany to the United States in 1848. Originally trained as a blacksmith, Charles Sr. transitioned into the ice trade before constructing a flour mill on South Water Street in 1868. He operated this mill until his passing in 1879, during which time Charles Jr. was his business partner. The Manegold family held a prominent position within Milwaukee’s commercial circles, with Charles Jr.’s brothers Henry and William also engaged in local enterprises.
Education and early career
Manegold’s education took place in Milwaukee’s public schools, followed by an apprenticeship as a miller under Eugene Hotchkiss, who leased his father’s mill. In 1871, he joined Hotchkiss & Manegold as a partner until the company dissolved that same year. Subsequently, he managed the mill alongside his father and uncle August Manegold for three years before becoming an equal partner with his father after August’s death. He maintained active involvement in the milling business until 1910.
Mid-career
By 1876, Manegold had entered into a partnership with Charles James Kershaw to co-own the Northwestern Marine elevator. Two years later, in 1878, he and his father purchased the Reliance Flour Mill located on West Water Street. These operations were conducted concurrently with his milling responsibilities through 1910. Furthermore, he held an investment in the Milwaukee Malting Company from 1886 until it was sold to the American Malting Company in 1898.
Milwaukee-Waukesha Brewing
In 1899, Manegold took ownership and assumed the presidency of the Milwaukee-Waukesha Brewing Company, which ran breweries in downtown Waukesha, Wisconsin and at Fox Head Springs. His tenure saw substantial growth of the company, exemplifying his steady entrepreneurial approach and forward-thinking management style evident throughout his industrial pursuits.
Family life
On October 16, 1875, Manegold married Anna Kretschmar, daughter of Robert Kretschmar—a butcher and meatpacker originally from Saxony, Germany. They had three daughters: Emily (who married A. S. Lindeman of Milwaukee), Ella (spouse of Milwaukee attorney Frank Boesel), and Irma (wife of Dr. Edwin Henes from New York). Emily was mother to two daughters, Alice and Charlotte; Ella had three children named Charles, Frank, and Marianna; and Irma bore two children, Virginia and Edwin.
Community service
Manegold was a significant figure in Milwaukee’s civic life as one of the inaugural city park commissioners appointed in 1889. Throughout a decade of service, he contributed to acquiring key parks such as Lake Park, Washington Park, and Kosciuszko Park. He consistently backed efforts aimed at enhancing the city’s well-being but refrained from pursuing elected positions, maintaining an independent political outlook.
Social organizations
He engaged actively with various social and commercial associations that supported Milwaukee’s growth, including the Association of Commerce, Milwaukee Athletic Club, Wisconsin Club, Calumet Club, Blue Mound Country Club, and Milwaukee Art Institute. His personal interests included bowling and fishing during leisure time.
Travel
Manegold undertook numerous journeys, exploring locations including Spitsbergen, Egypt, the Holy Land, South America, and Alaska amid the 1898 gold rush—an event he became aware of only after his return to Seattle—as well as the West Indies, the Panama Canal construction area, and Mexico. Frequently traveling with family members, he placed great importance on their well-being. For two decades, as a member of the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce’s arbitration committee, he actively participated in matters crucial to the city’s development and administration.