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John Carl August Koch

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John Carl August Koch

Birth
Neubukow, Landkreis Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
Death
8 Nov 1907 (aged 66)
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA
Burial
Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA Add to Map
Plot
Section 33, Lots 6 & 7
Memorial ID
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The 28th Mayor of Milwaukee was a Republican, a merchant, a manufacturer, and a man of culture and character. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and came to Milwaukee with his parents when he was 13 years old. In 1894 he was president of the Milwaukee Exposition Company, a director of the Concordia Fire Insurance Company; a trustee of Concordia College; a leading member of the board of Trinity Lutheran Church; a member of the Milwaukee Advancement Association. It was largely through his influence and financial support that the Lutheran Home was organized, of which he was president. What he lacked in experience he compensated for with ethnicity. Germans made up about one-third of the population of Milwaukee, but the GOP had lost German support because of its endorsement in 1889 of the Bennett Law which required all school instruction be in English. Koch ran as the mayoral candidate in a special election in 1893 in light of Mayor Peter J. Somer's resignation. Popular in both business and German circles Koch won the election, and was re-elected in 1894. He was the first mayor to occupy the present City Hall, which was built in 1895. He declined to seek a third term. He died of pneumonia in Milwaukee with his family present. He had married Miss Elizabeth Pritzlaff, the daughter of John Pritzlaff, and six sons and three daughters were born to them.
The 28th Mayor of Milwaukee was a Republican, a merchant, a manufacturer, and a man of culture and character. He was born in Hamburg, Germany, and came to Milwaukee with his parents when he was 13 years old. In 1894 he was president of the Milwaukee Exposition Company, a director of the Concordia Fire Insurance Company; a trustee of Concordia College; a leading member of the board of Trinity Lutheran Church; a member of the Milwaukee Advancement Association. It was largely through his influence and financial support that the Lutheran Home was organized, of which he was president. What he lacked in experience he compensated for with ethnicity. Germans made up about one-third of the population of Milwaukee, but the GOP had lost German support because of its endorsement in 1889 of the Bennett Law which required all school instruction be in English. Koch ran as the mayoral candidate in a special election in 1893 in light of Mayor Peter J. Somer's resignation. Popular in both business and German circles Koch won the election, and was re-elected in 1894. He was the first mayor to occupy the present City Hall, which was built in 1895. He declined to seek a third term. He died of pneumonia in Milwaukee with his family present. He had married Miss Elizabeth Pritzlaff, the daughter of John Pritzlaff, and six sons and three daughters were born to them.

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