Adolphus Lotze
Adolf Christian Alhard Lotze ( called Adolphus in USA , born August 11, 1812 in Hann. Münden , † December 9, 1877 in Cincinnati ) was a German pioneer in the stove business and the manufacture of air heating devices in the USA .
Life
His father, the butcher, guild master and citizen Johann August Wilhelm Lotze ran an inn together with his mother Regine Gertrude Voigt. However, he already died when young Adolphus had barely reached the ninth year. The single widow then had to raise her seven children and a stepson alone. The young Adolphus attended the Mündender Municipal School until he was fourteen . After this time he completed an apprenticeship as a plumber. After completing his apprenticeship, he decided to emigrate to America.
At the age of 18 he left Bremerhaven from Germany on October 18, 1830 . After three and a half months of shipping, he reached Baltimore on December 28, 1830 . There he worked as a skilled plumber for many years.
At that time he had the idea of heating apartments and houses with fan-assisted air heating. The pursuit of this idea has persisted since then, although he was employed as a plumber in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Newark, New York and Boston until 1838. On May 8, 1838, he moved to Cincinnati. A short time later he became a partner in his own business with Mr. Johann Lohn under the Lotze and Lohn company in Mainstreet 265. Then he devoted himself to the implementation of his idea, the manufacture of a heating device by conducting the heated air to warm certain rooms. In 1840 he received his patent for the first practical air heating device made in America. In that year Adolphus Lotze married Magdalena Bering (* 1816 in Landau), daughter of the lawyer Baltasar Bering and grandson of Vitus Bering . She gave him ten children, five sons and five daughters, nine of whom survived their father.
The first apparatus Lotze built was successfully installed in the apartment of the judge, public prosecutor and President of the Court of Common Pleas David K. Este (1785–1875). Judge Este was so satisfied with this first device that twenty years later he had a similar device made by Lotze. Lotze's business expanded and in 1851 he was able to build his spacious four-story commercial building at 217 Walnut Street, which he gradually expanded. On the basic principle of air flow by Adolphus Lotze, various changes in the air heating apparatus were made and patented later.
The business relationship with Mr. Lohn continued until his death and was continued for a while under the company A. Lotze and Co. Lotze kept this business name despite the payment of Mr. Lohn's heirs. In 1874 Lotze changed the company name to Adolphus Lotze and Sons, after transferring a share of the business to his two older sons.
Lotzes shop in Cincinnati
In 1853 Lotze made a trip to Germany to visit his birthplace and his brother, Wilhelm Lotze . The main purpose of this trip was to expand his knowledge of air heating by observing methods used in Europe. When he returned to America, he successfully introduced the Lotzesche cooker. Lotze had been a member of the German Pioneer Association since December 1, 1868.
In the summer of 1875 he made another trip to Europe, this time for health reasons. He suffered from dehydration anorexia nervosa (muscular atrophy) for two years . Doctors recommended him European sulfur baths, but he returned without a cure and was cared for by his wife until his death from the disease on December 9, 1877.
children
- August Anton * 1841, † 1844.
- Charlotte Regina * 1842, † 1933.
- Mary Anna * 1843, † 1928 in Mittenwald
- In 1874 she married the violin maker Maximiliam Baader from Mittenwald , grandson of Joseph Baader
- Their son was Adolf Sr. (1875–1952), Mayor of Mittenwald, publisher and owner of JA Baader Violin Made in Mittenwald, Germany c. 1890. Honorary citizen of Mittenwald: Awarded on April 8, 1949.
- Rosa Elina * 1845, † 1928.
- In 1867 she married the priest and tobacco dealer Clements A. Nulsen. He was also the founder and vice president of the Cincinnati Crematorium. Clements was the cousin of John Louis Nuelsen .
- Adolphus Wilhelm Jr. * 1847.
- He continued his father's company with his brothers August and Frederick.
- August H. * 1848, † 1909.
- Christian Matthew * 1850, † 1932.
- He was a lawyer, US Senator and Supreme Court Justice in Cincinnati, studied law in Cincinnati and achieved his bachelor's degree at the age of 20. He then went to Europe and took courses at the universities of Leipzig, Heidelberg and Berlin. In 1876 he married his cousin Emma, daughter of the historian Wilhelm Lotze
- Louise M. * 1852, † 1940.
- Frederick Bauer * 1853, † 1940.
- He married Josephine Lang.
- Amanda J. * 1859, † 1962.
- In 1884 she married the son of the merchant and consul of the North German Confederation in Cincinnati (Ohio) Adolph Seineke and in 1898 Eugene Fushippel.
swell
- "Der Deutsche Pionier" Memories from the pioneering life of Germans in America. Publisher: German Pioneer Association of Cincinnati.
- Fred A. Geier 1866-1934 Published in 1995 in Cincinnati, Ohio by James AD Geier.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Lotze, Adolphus |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Lotze, Adolf Christian Alhard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German stove manufacturer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 11, 1812 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hann. Münden |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 9, 1877 |
| Place of death | Cincinnati |