Frederick A. Schroeder

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Frederick A. Schroeder, drawing, 1898

Friedrich Anton Schröder (born March 9, 1833 in Trier , † December 1, 1899 in New York City ) was an American industrialist and politician of German origin. As Mayor of the City of Brooklyn before its unification with New York and as a member of the New York Senate , he earned merit as a fighter against corruption and for more efficient city government.

youth

Friedrich Anton Schröder was the son of the businessman Michael Schröder and Salome Schröder, née Abel . The father later worked as a surveyor . From 1841 he attended the Trier grammar school in Trier. Schröder was a poor student and left school in 1848 without a certificate. His mother died on March 18, 1848. In 1849 Schröder emigrated to America with his father and two sisters. The family's emigration may have been linked to the unrest of 1848 .

Economic success

In the USA he called himself Frederick A. Schroeder and initially worked as a tobacco worker. He learned this profession in Germany between leaving school and emigrating. Tobacco workers were in great demand at the time, so training in this area was a good preparation for emigration.

As early as 1852, Schroeder was able to found his own tobacco factory together with his partner Isidore M. Bon. After running the tobacco factory successfully for years, Schroeder switched to importing tobacco from 1867. Also in 1867, Schroeder was one of the founders of Germania Savings Bank, of which he remained president until his death.

In 1894, Schroeder and Isidore Bon were defeated by the US Supreme Court in a lawsuit over the duty to be paid on a tobacco shipment .

Political career

In 1871 Schroeder took over a political office for the first time. At the suggestion of the Republicans , he was elected Comptroller of the City of Brooklyn and was responsible for the budget and finances of the city for a year. Re-election, he refused, but was in 1875 again the proposal from the Republican mayor ( Mayor elected) of the city. In both offices Schroeder distinguished himself as an adversary of the "Brooklyn Ring", an association ( Political Machine ) under the "Boss" of the Democrats , Hugh McLaughlin, which ruled the city administration at the time with the help of office patronage and clientele politics.

After the end of his tenure as mayor, Schroeder continued his political career from 1878 in the New York State Senate . As a Senator, he worked primarily on the enactment of a new City Charter (city constitution) for Brooklyn. The new constitution strengthened the mayor's competencies and replaced the previous system, in which three-person commissions were at the head of the city's administrative departments, with department heads who were solely responsible.

When in 1880 his tenure as senator had expired, Schroeder withdrew from politics. He has been nominated as a Republican candidate for high office several times. In 1885 he was offered the candidacy for the office of mayor of Brooklyn again. In 1891 Schroeder was under discussion for the position of Governor of New York State. Shortly before the unification of Brooklyn with New York, Schroeder's candidacy for the office of mayor of Greater New York was discussed, whereby the well-known Seth Low , once indirect successor of Schroeder as Mayor of Brooklyn, is said to have been prepared to renounce in favor of Schroeder. Schroeder turned down all of these offers. The reason for the rejection of the candidacy for governor was the endorsement of prohibition by leading Republicans in the state.

death

In the last years of his life, Schroeder traveled to Europe several times. It is not evident that he returned to his old home. Schroeder died of pneumonia that he contracted at the funeral of one of his daughters. Five other daughters, a son (Edwin A. Schroeder, † 1902) and his wife Mary Jane b. Rushers, whom he married in 1854 (1830–1913), survived him.

Schroeder was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery , Brooklyn. Both houses of the New York City Parliament passed commemorative resolutions in honor of Frederick Schroeder. The famous emigrant was also mourned in Trier.

Honors

The "Schroeders Avennue" was named after him.

literature

Web links

proof

  1. ^ Gregor Brand: Frederick A. Schroeder (Eifel newspaper). Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  2. ^ According to the claim in the New York Times obituary, Death of Mr. Schroeder, December 2, 1899, on the Internet at query.nytimes.com
  3. ↑ For the further history of this institute, which after name changes and mergers under the name "Crossland Savings, FSB" collapsed spectacularly in 1992, cf. the New York Bank History website at scripophily.com; and the Federal Deposit Insurance Company (FDIC) report, in the volume, "Managing the Crisis: The FDIC and RTC Experience," Vol. 1, Chapter 11, pp. 685-704 , on the Internet at fdic.gov ( Memento of the original from December 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fdic.gov
  4. ↑ Erhardt v. Schroeder , 155 US 124 (1894), on the Internet at caselaw.lp.findlaw.com
  5. ^ The Brooklyn Charter, New York Times, April 6, 1896, on the Internet at query.nytimes.com
  6. ^ The Republican Nominee, New York Times, October 2, 1885, on the Internet at query.nytimes.com
  7. ^ He Is Not A Candidate, New York Times, July 6, 1891, on the Internet at query.nytimes.com
  8. ↑ Ex-Mayor Schroeder Approached, New York Times, August 28, 1897, on the Internet at query.nytimes.com
  9. ↑ Suicide of a New Yorker, New York Times, October 15, 1902, on the Internet at query.nytimes.com
  10. ^ Grave stone of the Schroeder family
personal data
SURNAME Schroeder, Frederick A.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Schröder, Friedrich Anton (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American industrialist and politician
DATE OF BIRTH March 9, 1833
PLACE OF BIRTH trier
DATE OF DEATH December 1, 1899
Place of death New York City