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Charles H. Weisse

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Charles H. Weisse
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 6th district
In office
March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911
Preceded byJames H. Davidson
Succeeded byMichael E. Burke
Village President of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin
In office
April 1893 – April 1896
Personal details
Born(1866-10-24)October 24, 1866
Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
DiedOctober 8, 1919(1919-10-08) (aged 52)
Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeSheboygan Falls Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Jennie Koster
    ​
    (died 1891)​
  • Caroline H. Kallenberg
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1896⁠–⁠1919)​
Children
  • Minie J. Weisse
  • (b. 1890; died 1891)
OccupationTanner, furrier, politician

Charles Herman Weisse (October 24, 1866 – October 8, 1919) was a German American tanner, businessman, and Democratic politician from Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives for four terms, representing Wisconsin's 6th congressional district from 1903 to 1911. He also served three terms as president of the village of Sheboygan Falls.

Early life[edit]

Born near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, Weisse attended the public schools and St. Paul Lutheran School. At age 14, he went to work at his father's tannery business, and, at age 22, he became a partner in the business, known as Chas. S. Weisse & Co., tanniers and furriers.[1][2] His brothers were also partners in the company; Charles, as the eldest living brother, became president of the company after their father's death. During his life, the Weisse tannery was a major employer in Sheboygan Falls.[3]

He served as village president of Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, from 1893 to 1896. He was treasurer of the school board from 1897 till 1900.

Political career[edit]

In 1900, he made his first run for United States House of Representatives, challenging incumbent Republican Samuel S. Barney in what was then the 5th congressional district. Weisse ran on the Democratic Party ticket and received 41% of the vote in the general election, falling about 5,000 votes short of Barney.[4][5] The next year, however, redistricting moved Weisse's home county, Sheboygan, into the 6th congressional district, along with Ozaukee, Washington, Fond du Lac, and Dodge counties.[6]

Weisse ran again in the new district in 1902. He faced a contest for the Democratic nomination at the 6th congressional district convention. His chief opponents were former congressman Owen A. Wells of Fond du Lac, James E. Malone of Dodge County, and Henry Blank of Washington.[7] The convention deadlocked for three days, but on the 26th ballot, the chairman of the Dodge County delegation, Michael E. Burke, urged the delegates to come to a compromise, and to demonstrate his sincerity, the Dodge County delegates cast their vote for Weisse. After his speech, all of the other delegates agreed to support Weisse, and he was nominated unanimously.[8] In the general election, Weisse was a vocal critic of the Dingley Act tariffs, and pledged to seek adjustments. He prevailed in the general election with 52% of the vote over the incumbent secretary of state William Froehlich. Weisse carried every county in the district and became the only Democratic member of Wisconsin's congressional delegation to the 58th United States Congress.[6]

Weisse went on to win re-election three times, serving from March 4, 1903, to March 3, 1911.[4] In 1910, Weisse announced he would decline renomination to Congress and instead sought the Democratic nomination for United States Senate.[9][10] U.S. senators were still elected by the state legislature in 1910, so although Weisse received the Democratic nomination, Robert M. La Follette was easily re-elected by the overwhelmingly Republican 50th Wisconsin Legislature.[11]

During his time in Congress, he also served as delegate from Wisconsin to the Democratic National Conventions in 1904 and 1908. During the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Weisse took a leading role in crafting the party platform. The Chicago Tribune described him efforts as "neither a radical nor a conservative, but endeavor[ing] to produce a platform upon which the whole Democratic party could go before the people."[1]

Later years[edit]

After leaving office, Weisse devoted most of his time to his business and civic interests.[1] In his last year in office, he also became a partner in the ownership of The Sheboygan Press, the main newspaper in the Sheboygan area.[12] His investment enabled the paper to purchase new machinery and facilities to modernize the newspaper's production process.[1][13]

On September 30, 1919, a catastrophic fire destroyed the entire Chas. S. Weisse & Co. factory in Sheboygan Falls, destroying an estimated $150,000 worth of property and inventory (about $5 million adjusted for inflation to 2024).[14] After the fire, only one wall of the factory was left standing. Weisse participated in an inspection of the ruined building on October 8, 1919, with several of his employees. During the inspection, a strong gust of wind caused the remaining brick wall collapsed on the team. Weisse suffered a head wound and died within minutes. Two other men died, six were injured.[1]

He was interred at Sheboygan Falls Cemetery.[1]

Personal life and family[edit]

Charles H. Weisse was the second of six children born to Charles Samuel Weisse and his wife Wilhelmine "Minne" (née Kalenberg). Both parents were German immigrants from the Thuringia region.

Charles' elder brother, Henry, died just before his 18th birthday in 1877, leaving Charles as the eldest surviving child. His younger brothers, Louis, Otto, and Emil, were partners with him in the tannery business.[1]

Charles H. Weisse married twice. He first married Jennie Koster in 1889. They had one daughter together, but Jennie and the child both died in 1891. Weisse subsequently married Caroline H. "Lena" Kallenberg, but had no more children.[1]

His father's home at 309 Broadway Street in Sheboygan Falls is still intact and listed in the Wisconsin Historical Society's register of historically significant properties.[3]

Electoral history[edit]

U.S. House, Wisconsin's 5th district (1900)[edit]

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1900 General[4] Nov. 6 Samuel S. Barney (inc) Republican 23,089 52.42% Charles H. Weisse Dem. 18,066 41.01% 44,049 5,023
Henry C. Berger Soc. 2,284 5.19%
Winfield D. Cox Proh. 610 1.38%

U.S. House, Wisconsin's 6th district (1902, 1904, 1906, 1908)[edit]

Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality
1902 General[4] Nov. 4 Charles H. Weisse Democratic 17,991 52.16% William Froehlich Rep. 14,575 42.26% 34,492 3,416
John P. Wilson Soc. 1,394 4.04%
George C. Hill Proh. 532 1.54%
1904 General[4] Nov. 8 Charles H. Weisse (inc) Democratic 20,665 53.37% Roy L. Morse Rep. 17,687 45.68% 38,721 2,978
William J. Perry Proh. 368 0.95%
1906 General[4] Nov. 6 Charles H. Weisse (inc) Democratic 19,446 63.30% Alvin Dreger Rep. 10,512 34.22% 30,722 8,934
George C. Damrow Soc. 764 2.49%
1908 General[4] Nov. 3 Charles H. Weisse (inc) Democratic 23,317 57.76% George W. Spratt Rep. 16,184 40.09% 40,368 7,133
George C. Damrow Soc. 866 2.15%

U.S. Senate (1911)[edit]

United States Senate Election in Wisconsin, 1911[15]
Party Candidate Votes %
Vote of the 50th Wisconsin Legislature, January 24, 1911
Republican Robert M. La Follette (incumbent) 83 62.41%
Democratic Charles H. Weisse 31 23.31%
Social Democratic Henry Kleist 14 10.53%
Republican Frederick C. Winkler 1 0.75%
Absent or not voting 4 3.01%
Plurality 52 39.10%
Total votes 133 100.0%

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Tragic Death of Mr. Chas. H. Weisse a Shock to Community". The Sheboygan Press. October 9, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Weisse, Charles Herman 1866 - 1919". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "309 BROADWAY ST". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Wisconsin U.S. House Election Results" (PDF). Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ Froehlich, William H., ed. (1901). "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin 1901 (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. p. 723. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Erickson, Halford, ed. (1903). "Biographical Sketches". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin 1893 (Report). Wisconsin Bureau of Labor Statistics. p. 1074. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "The Congressional Convention". Beaver Dam Argus. August 28, 1902. p. 4. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Weisse for Congress". West Bend Pilot. September 3, 1902. p. 1. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Chas. H. Weisse Candidate for U.S. Senator". Juneau Telephone. August 19, 1910. p. 9. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "A Real Democratic Candidate". Wausau Pilot. July 26, 1910. p. 4. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "La Follette Named, Vote is a Triumph". Oshkosh Northwestern. January 24, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Circulation Statement, The Sheboygan Press, Made Under Postal Law". The Sheboygan Press. October 1, 1919. p. 6. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Dippel, Beth (March 2, 2018). "A walk down memory lane: Center Avenue was once Sheboygan's main street". The Sheboygan Press. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "$150,000 Fire at the Falls". The Sheboygan Press. September 30, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved June 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Vote for a United States Senator". State of Wisconsin Assembly Journal. Wisconsin Legislature. January 24, 1911. p. 109-110. Retrieved June 8, 2024.

External links[edit]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district
March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1911 		Succeeded by
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