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Frederick Gottlieb Niedringhaus (October 21, 1837 – November 25, 1922) was a German-born American businessman and politician. He served as a
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
.


Early life

Niedringhaus was born on October 21, 1837, in
Lübbecke Lübbecke (; ) is a town in northeast North Rhine-Westphalia in north Germany. This former county town lies on the northern slopes of the Wiehen Hills (''Wiehengebirge'') and has around 26,000 inhabitants. The town is part of district of Minden- ...
,
Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...
, North
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Niedringhaus attended the common schools there and learned the glazing, painting, and tinning trades. He emigrated to the United States in November 1855 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri.


Career

With his brother William, Niedringhaus started a tinware stamping company in the early 1860s, just as the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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 policies.J ...
fueled demand for tin products. The brothers' business boomed, and in 1866 they founded the St. Louis Stamping Company. An initial capitalization of $125,000 allowed them to open a factory. The brothers spent long hours at the factory, "engrossed in detail of production, or absorbed in plans to capture new markets, and sometimes even taking turns at the stamping machines when rush orders piled up." With his brother, Niedringhaus developed a process for creating a decorative mottled surface on enameled metal in 1875. The process began with rolled sheet iron stamped into various shapes. Then, the ironware was dipped into an enamel and baked, creating a shiny blue-gray glaze. Because granite was used in the enameling process, the brothers called the new product Granite Ironware. They created a distribution network by making hardware stores agents for Granite Ironware. This "graniteware" became popular, and in 1877 they built a five-story brick warehouse and factory. A new rolling mill allowed them to produce sheet iron, which they had previously imported from Wales. In 1885, the company expanded to manufacture
terne Terne plate is a form of tinplate: a thin steel sheet coated with an alloy of lead and tin. The terne alloy was in the ratio of 10-20% tin and the remainder lead. The low tin content made it cheaper than other tinplates. Terne plate was used for ...
plate, a roofing material made of sheet iron or sheet steel coated with an alloy of lead and tin. In 1891, the brothers purchased land in
Madison County, Illinois Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a part of the Metro East in southern Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 264,776, making it the eighth-most populous county in ...
, eventually acquiring 3,500 acres. They relocated and expanded their factory, incorporating Granite City in 1896. In 1899, the St. Louis Stamping Company merged with similar businesses to form the National Enameling and Stamping Company. Niedringhaus also became interested in various other business enterprises. In 1885, with his brother, he acquired the Calumet Mine near
Stockton, Utah Stockton is a town in Tooele County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 616 at the 2010 census. History Stockton was born of the first mining boom in the Utah Territ ...
. The brothers also incorporated the Home Land & Cattle Company and bought a ranch at Little Dry Creek northwest of
Miles City, Montana Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. History After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created forts in eastern Montana, inclu ...
. The chose N-N as their brand, reflecting their closeness as brothers and business partners. They bought ranches on Perico Creek near the town of
Clayton, New Mexico Clayton is a town in and the county seat of Union County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,980. History Early history Native Americans were present in the area of Clayton for at least 10,000 years, ...
, to serve as the N-N's winter range. They later moved the ranch's northern headquarters to Prairie Elk Creek to be near the Great Northern Railway shipping point at Oswego, Montana. At its peak in the 1890s, the N-N ran up to one hundred thousand cattle at any given time, wintering them on its southern ranges and driving them north in massive
cattle drives Droving is the practice of walking livestock over long distances. It is a type of herding, often associated with cattle, in which case it is a cattle drive (particularly in the US). Droving stock to market—usually on foot and often with the ...
to finish them on the northern ranges. The Niedringhauses sold the ranch in 1899.


Politics

Niedringhaus was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-first Congress (March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891). During his term, he helped draft the
McKinley Tariff The Tariff Act of 1890, commonly called the McKinley Tariff, was an act of the United States Congress framed by then-Representative William McKinley, that became law on October 1, 1890. The tariff raised the average duty on imports to almost 50% ...
to raise the duty on tin-plate from Wales. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1890 and resumed his former business pursuits.


Personal life

On June 1, 1860, Niedringhaus married Dena Key, the daughter of a St. Louis family. The marriage produced ten children.


Death

He died in St. Louis, Missouri, November 25, 1922, and was interred in
Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine has several architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the Louis Su ...
.


References


External links


Granite Ware
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Niedringhaus, Frederick Gottlieb 1837 births 1922 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople Businesspeople from St. Louis People from Lübbecke Politicians from St. Louis Prussian emigrants to the United States Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives