Henry Vits (January 21, 1842 – December 7, 1921) was an American businessman and politician. Born in Rheydt,

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, Vits emigrated with his parents to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1855 and settled in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc ( ) is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626. History Purporte ...

. Vits owned a grist mill and was involved with the tannery business. In 1898, Vits started the Manitowoc Aluminum Novelty Company in Manitowoc, which eventually merged into the combined Mirro Aluminum Company. Vits served as postmaster in Manitowoc during the administration of President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

. He also served on the school board, the Manitowoc Common Council, and the Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors. In 1878, Vits served in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

. He died suddenly of a stroke at his home in Manitowoc.

References

1842 births 1921 deaths Prussian emigrants to the United States People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin Wisconsin postmasters Wisconsin city council members County supervisors in Wisconsin School board members in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature {{Wisconsin-WIAssembly-Democratic-stub