Frederick William Matthiessen (March 5, 1835 – February 11, 1918) was a philanthropist, industrialist, and former mayor of LaSalle, IL. He was instrumental in the creation of Matthiessen State Park. Matthiessen was the paternal grandfather of scholar and Harvard professor

F.O. Matthiessen Francis Otto Matthiessen (February 19, 1902 – April 1, 1950) was an educator, scholar and literary critic influential in the fields of American literature and American studies. His best known work, ''American Renaissance: Art and Expression in ...

Early life and education

Born March 5, 1835 in

Altona, Hamburg Altona (), also called Hamburg-Altona, is the westernmost urban borough (''Bezirk'') of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864, Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. A ...

, Matthiessen went on to attend university at the

Freiberg University of Mining and Technology The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (abbreviation: TU Bergakademie Freiberg, TUBAF) is a public university of technology with currently 3655 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony, Germany. Its focus is on exploration, mining & ...

. It was here that he met Edward C. Hegeler, a fellow engineering student studying mining. They immigrated together to the United States of America in 1856. After investigating several sites in the Northeast and Midwest of the country, they decided to set up their

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including silver, iron, copper, and other base metals. Smelting uses heat and a c ...

on the banks of the Little Vermilion River, in LaSalle, IL.

Business success

Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Works broke ground on Christmas Eve of 1858. The early years of the Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company were difficult, with the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

breaking out 2 years after the company's inception. A lack of demand for

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic t ...

very nearly ended the company, but troubles proved to be short lived. By 1862, a burgeoning arms industry injected much-needed business, greatly driving up demand for zinc products. Matthiessen would later add rolling mills, coal mines, machine shops, and the forerunner of

Westclox Westclox was an American manufacturer and is a current brand of clocks and alarm clocks. The company's historic plant is located in Peru, Illinois. Early history as United Clock Company Charles Stahlberg and others from Waterbury, Connecticu ...

to his diverse portfolio. Edward's daughter,

Mary Hegeler Carus Mary Hegeler Carus (January 10, 1861 – June 27, 1936) was an American engineer, editor and entrepreneur. In 1882 she was the first woman to graduate in engineering from the University of Michigan. Early life Marie Hermine Henriette Hegeler ...

, ran Matthiessen and Hegeler Zinc Company from 1903 until her death in 1936. In 1924, the Hegeler-Carus family bought out the Matthiessen family interests in the company. Matthiessen served as the Mayor of LaSalle, IL between 1887 and 1897, elected to five consecutive terms.

Philanthropy

Matthiessen donated approximately $500,000 to various causes, such as

LaSalle-Peru High School LaSalle-Peru Township High School, also known as LaSalle-Peru High School, LPHS, or simply LP, is a public four-year high school located at 541 Chartres Street in LaSalle, Illinois, a small city in LaSalle County, Illinois, in the Midwestern Unite ...

and

Illinois Valley Community Hospital Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...

. Perhaps his best known donation is his former estate and private park known as "Deer Park". It is today known as Matthiessen State Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthiessen, Frederick William Mayors of places in Illinois People from Altona, Hamburg 1835 births 1918 deaths 19th-century American politicians German emigrants to the United States