Charles Martin Roser (November 16, 1864 – April 12, 1937), also known as C. M. Roser, was an

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

food maker,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

real estate developer and philanthropist. He was born in

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the forks of the Black River (Ohio), Black River in Northeast Ohio, southwest of Cleveland. The population was 52,656 at the 2020 United States cens ...

and died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

Early career in Ohio

Charles Roser had part interest in a cheese business in

Wellington, Ohio Wellington is a village in Lorain County, Ohio. The population was 4,799 at the time of the 2020 census. History The rights to naming the village were given as a reward for how much road could be contracted to build. The original winner of the ...

, before he went into the business of making candy and cookies in

Kenton, Ohio Kenton is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Ohio, United States, located in the west-central part of Ohio about 57 mi (92 km) northwest of Columbus and 70 mi (113 km) south of Toledo. Its population was 7,947 ...

. The cookie business became part of what is now

Nabisco Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco' ...

in the 1890s. Roser is credited by some with having invented the

Fig Newton Newtons are a Nabisco-trademarked version of a cookie filled with sweet fruit paste. Fig Newtons are the most popular variety. They are produced by an extrusion process. Their distinctive shape is a characteristic that has been adopted by compe ...

(actually a pastry) or at least the process or machinery to make it, but Nabisco has never acknowledged these claims. In any event Roser left his cookie business a very rich man.

Later career in Florida

In the early part of the 20th century Roser and his wife, Ruth, arrived in St. Petersburg where he built several hotels downtown as well as an office building and cafeteria on Central Avenue. He opened his C. M. Roser Real Estate office at 695 Central Avenue in the building he had built. Roser also built and donated a nurse's home for Mound Park Hospital as well as the first building for Mercy Hospital.

Roser Park in St. Petersburg

Unlike other local residential developers who started with large tracts of land, Roser slowly acquired the parcels he needed to create his Roser Park subdivision, which is now recognized as the

Roser Park Historic District The Roser Park Historic District is a U.S. historic district (designated as such on April 1, 1998) located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The district is bounded by 5th and 9th Streets S, and 6th and 11th Avenues S. It contains 146 historic build ...

. He had the streets and sidewalks there paved with brick, which was quite expensive then. He built his own large house there and donated lands for a school and parks.

Anna Maria in Manatee County

On the northern end of the

Gulf Coast The Gulf Coast of the United States, also known as the Gulf South or the South Coast, is the coastline along the Southern United States where they meet the Gulf of Mexico. The coastal states that have a shoreline on the Gulf of Mexico are Tex ...

island of Anna Maria in Manatee County, though, Roser had the opportunity to develop an entire community, which is now the City of Anna Maria. In 1892, George Emerson Bean had homesteaded the northern of Anna Maria Island and became the island's first resident. Bean died in 1898 and his son, George Wilhelm Bean, inherited the property. In the early part of the 20th century, Charles Roser came down from St. Petersburg and partnered with him to form the Anna Maria Beach Company to develop the property by laying out streets and selling lots. Since the only access to the island then was by boat, Roser built a pier in 1911 at the end of Pine Avenue which jutted out into

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

to accommodate the boats bringing the expected influx of visitors and potential residents. Roser had a real estate office within easy walking distance of the pier on the south side of Pine Avenue. In 1913 as a memorial to his mother, he buil
Roser Memorial Community Church
which was the first church on the island. It has been enlarged and still serves the people of Anna Maria Island. Today Anna Maria is a residential community as well as a year-round vacation resort.

References

External links

Early History of the City of Anna Maria

City of Anna Maria Website

Official Website of Historic Roser Park

Roser Memorial Community Church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roser, Charles M. People from Elyria, Ohio People from St. Petersburg, Florida 1864 births 1937 deaths