Frederick Miller
Frederick John Miller | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Riedlingen, Kingdom of Württemberg |
| Died | May 11, 1888 (aged 63) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, brewer |
| Known for | Founder of Miller Brewing Company |
Frederick John Miller (November 24, 1824 – May 11, 1888) was a German-American entrepreneur in the brewing industry based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He established the Miller Brewing Company after acquiring the Plank Road Brewery in 1855. Miller received his brewing education in Germany, specifically in Sigmaringen.
Originally named Friedrich Johannes Müller and born in Riedlingen within the Kingdom of Württemberg, some historical documents also record his surname as Müller. Since the late 1900s, certain references have mistakenly identified him as "Frederick Edward John Miller."
In 1853, Miller wed Josephine Müller in Württemberg; their first son, Joseph Edward Miller, arrived the following year. The family emigrated to America in 1854, initially residing in New York before relocating to Wisconsin in 1855. After Josephine passed away in 1860, Miller remarried Lisette Gross and fathered five additional children who survived into adulthood: Ernst, Emil, Frederick II, Clara, and Elise. Clara became the spouse of Carl A. Miller, a fellow German immigrant and company executive.
At one point, Miller owned property located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula that is presently designated as Craig Lake State Park.
Miller succumbed to cancer at age 63 in 1888 and was interred at Calvary Cemetery in Milwaukee. Following his passing, leadership of the brewery transitioned to his three surviving sons along with his son-in-law Carl.
Elise Miller was the mother of Harry G. John (1919–1992), who served as company president from 1946 to 1947 and later founded the De Rance Corporation, a prominent Catholic philanthropic organization.
Frederick C. Miller (1906–1954), Clara’s son and an All-American football athlete at Notre Dame under coach Knute Rockne, succeeded Harry John as president of the company. Tragically, he and his son Fred Jr. died in a 1954 airplane accident involving the company's modified Lockheed Ventura aircraft while traveling to a hunting expedition in Canada; two pilots employed by the company also lost their lives.
See also
- Eberhard Anheuser
- Jacob Best
- Valentin Blatz
- Adolphus Busch
- Adolph Coors
- Gottlieb Heileman
- Frederick Pabst
- Joseph Schlitz
- August Uihlein
Further reading
- John, Tim. The Miller Beer Barons: The Frederick J. Miller Family and Its Brewery. Oregon, Wis: Badger Books, 2005.
External links
- Fred Miller Brewing Co., Milwaukee, U.S.A. Illustrated booklet featuring a portrait
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1824 births
- 1888 deaths
- People from Riedlingen
- Emigrants from Württemberg to the United States
- Businesspeople from Milwaukee
- American brewers
- American company founders
- 19th-century American businesspeople
- Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin
- Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Milwaukee)