Michael Diversey (born Diversy as shown on his grave in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Chicago; December 10, 1810 – December 12, 1869) was an American beer brewer, owner of the Diversey Beer Brewery. Diversey was an immigrant from Illingen, Saarland, Germany. He landed in the US in 1830, and went into partnership with English immigrant William Lill around 1841. The company changed its name and became the Lill & Diversey Brewery, also known simply as The Chicago Brewery. It was destroyed in the

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

Michael Diversey was a philanthropist. He was also a

Chicago alderman The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

(1844–45; 1856–1868). During the 1850s, Diversey was active in the antiprohibitionist crusade that sought to repel the influence of temperance reformers who attempted to ban the sale and manufacture of alcohol. The Diversey Parkway in Chicago is named after him. St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Chicago was built on land donated to the parish by Michael Diversey, and the choice of 'Michael' in the name was in honor of him too.https://www.st-mikes.org/our-history Until 1885, St. Michael’s was the tallest building in Chicago. Michael Diversey was married to Angela Diversy (June 10, 1810 – November 9, 1883). Oil portraits of Michael and Angela Diversy are in the collection of the Chicago History Museum.

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1810 births 1869 deaths Philanthropists from Illinois German emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Chicago American brewers 19th-century American philanthropists 19th-century American businesspeople Chicago City Council members {{US-business-bio-1810s-stub