Martin Kalbfleisch (February 8, 1804 – February 12, 1873) was a Dutch pioneer in the chemical industry, mayor of the city of
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and a
United States representative
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from New York during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.
He served one term in the
U.S. House from 1863 to 1865.
Early life
Born in
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river ...
, Kalbfleisch attended the public schools where he studied chemistry. At the age of eighteen, he embarked with an American captain to engage in trading in
Sumatra, but returned on account of
cholera. Forming a partnership with an American, he carried on business in
Le Havre, France, for four years.
Immigration to the United States
Kalbfleisch immigrated to the United States and settled in New York City in 1826, where he engaged in the manufacture and sale of paints. He was health warden in 1832, school trustee in 1836, and established a chemical factory at
Greenpoint in 1844. He was
Town Supervisor of
Bushwick from 1852 to 1854 and was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of the
City of Brooklyn in 1854. He was an
alderman in Brooklyn from 1855 to 1861 and mayor from 1862 to 1864.
Later life
Kalbfleisch was elected as a
Democrat to the Thirty-eighth Congress, holding office from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865. He voted against the
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representative ...
. He was a delegate to the
Union National Convention at
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
in 1866, and was again mayor of Brooklyn from 1867 to 1871. He was an unsuccessful independent candidate for reelection and retired from active pursuits. Kalbfleisch died in Brooklyn. He is interred at
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...
.
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalbfleisch, Martin
1804 births
1873 deaths
Dutch emigrants to the United States
Mayors of Brooklyn
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery
People from Vlissingen
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state)
19th-century American politicians
Politicians from Brooklyn