Adolph Schoeninger (January 20, 1833December 13, 1900) was a German-born American businessman. He was born in

Weil der Stadt Weil der Stadt () is a town of about 19,000 inhabitants in the Stuttgart Region of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is about west of Stuttgart city centre, in the valley of the River Würm, and is often called the "Gate to the Black Fo ...

, Germany, and moved to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was an

industrialist A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

who owned Western Wheel Works in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. His company became one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world.

Early life

Schoeninger's parents were Joseph A. and Anna M. ( Eble) Schoeninger. Schoeninger was educated in Germany and moved to the United States with his brother in 1854. He lived in

Military service

When the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

began, Schoeninger was offered a command of a company in the 75th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. He served as a Captain under (then) colonel

Henry Bohlen Henry Bohlen (October 22, 1810 – August 22, 1862) was a German-American Union Army, Union Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General of the American Civil War. Before becoming the first foreign-born Union general in the Civil War, he f ...

from 1861 to 1864. In 1864 Schoeninger returned to Philadelphia after the war, destitute.

Career

Baby angel 1898 Western Wheel Works Crescent Bicycles advertisement

In 1865 Schoeninger moved to Chicago and opened a furniture business. But in 1866 he was left with a great financial loss when the factory burned down. In 1866 he then took over another factory that produced toys and baby carriages and named it Western Wheel Works, in partnership with a man named F. Westermann; they started out manufacturing toys and other novelties as the Western Toy Company. Schoeninger ran the company until the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

of 1871 destroyed his business. He did not have the proper insurance on his buildings, and was again left with a great financial loss. By 1872 he obtained financing from European banks and rebuilt the factories. By the mid-1890s, bicycles were very popular, and his company began building bicycles, renamed Western Wheel Works. By 1899 it employed 1,500 people and produced 350 bicycles a day. In 1893 Schoeninger transferred his ownership of the Western Wheel Works to his two sons-in-law. He returned to making toys and baby carriages, starting a new company which he called the Home Rattan Company.

Personal life

Schoeninger married Augusta Reichmann on April 20, 1857. They had three children, one boy and two girls. His only son died and left him without an heir. Mayor Harvey Doolittle Colvin appointed Schoeninger to serve a three-year term on the Chicago Board of Education. He served on the committee on reception when the

1892 Democratic National Convention The 1892 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, from June 21 to 23, 1892. Former President Grover Cleveland, who had been the party's standard-bearer in 1884 and 1888, was nominated again. Adlai Stevenson I of Illinois was n ...

was held in Chicago.

Death

Schoeninger spent winters in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. On December 13, 1900, he died of a lung ailment in Los Angeles. He was buried at

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park R ...

in Chicago.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schoeninger, Adolph 1833 births 1900 deaths People from Weil der Stadt Businesspeople from Chicago Businesspeople from Philadelphia 19th-century German businesspeople Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United States People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Members of the Chicago Board of Education Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago)