Eduard Degener

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Eduard Degener

Eduard Degener , also known as Edward Degener in the USA from 1850 (born October 20, 1809 in Braunschweig , † September 11, 1890 in San Antonio , Texas , USA), was a German-American politician , member of the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau and member of parliament in the US House of Representatives (1869–1871); he was also a farmer and grocer .

Life

After studying in Germany and England , Degener was twice a member of parliament in the Duchy of Anhalt-Dessau. In 1848 he was a member of the preliminary parliament . In 1850 he emigrated to the " Latin Settlement " Sisterdale in Kendall County, Texas, and settled there as farmers in the community of numerous other German " free thinkers " and so-called " Latins ". He bought his house from Nicolaus Zink (1812–1887). For a short time in 1852, these settlers included the journalist and educator Adolph Douai (1819–1888), who later founded the first kindergarten in the USA.

During the American Civil War (1861-1865) Degeners both sons were executed by the Army of the Confederate States for treason and he himself was imprisoned for having campaigned against slavery and for the goals of the Union . He was even part of a group planning to split Texas and make West Texas a separate state from the Confederate States. After his release, Degener ran a wholesale grocery store in San Antonio, Bexar County. In 1866 and from 1868 to 1869 he was a member of the "Constituent Assembly" of Texas ( " Constitutional Convention ") and was u. a. also chairman of the immigration commission, to which other Germans belonged.

In 1869 he was elected a member of the US House of Representatives. From taking office on March 4, 1870 to March 3, 1871, Degener represented the western counties of Bexar , Wilson , Kerr , Bandera , Medina , Uvalde , Kinney , Maverick , Edwards, and Zavala . Since he was not re-elected in 1870, Degener returned to San Antonio and was there from 1872 to 1878 city councilor in his new hometown. He is buried in the San Antonio city cemetery.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Federal Archives: Members of the Pre-Parliament and the Fifties Committee (PDF file; 79 kB)
personal data
SURNAME Degener, Eduard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Degener, Edward
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German politician and American politician (Republican Party), first congressman of German origin
DATE OF BIRTH October 20, 1809
PLACE OF BIRTH Braunschweig , Germany
DATE OF DEATH September 11, 1890
Place of death San Antonio , Texas