Adolph Walter Rich
Encyclopedia
Adolph Walter Rich was a Milwaukee manufacturer, merchant and philanthropist best known for his work in founding the Jewish agricultural colony at Arpin, Wisconsin
.
, the son of Emanuel Rich (ca. 1819- 24 April 1888) and Sarah H. Gladstone (ca. 1826 - ca. 1871). Soon after their arrival in the United States the family Americanized its surname to "Rich". In later life Rich generally used the given name “Adolph”, but in his patents and passport application styled himself “Adolphus Rich.” In Hungary, Rich learned German, Hungarian, and Hebrew, but eventually became fluent and well read in English.
When he was 10, his family left Europe, arriving at New York City on 24 October 1854 on the ship M. du Emile. In 1855 Emanuel Rich took his family to join relatives in Cleveland, Ohio
. After two years in Cleveland, the family moved to Michigan
. On 3 October 1857 Emanual purchased 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) in Saginaw County, Michigan
from the United States government. The land was heavily wooded and Rich worked with his father to clear the land. After three years, the family moved to nearby Owosso
, in Shiawassee County
, where the elder Rich made a living as a peddler. The Emanuel Rich family eventually settled in Pentwater, Michigan
.
and began an optical business, which soon failed. He then began the manufacture and sale of ladies' goods, particularly hoop skirts. Within six years the firm had grown to 300 employees. From 1874 to 1893 he worked in partnership with Lewis Silber, doing business as A.W. Rich and Company with their store located. on Broadway in Milwaukee. The firm handled a complete line of ladies' goods. Rich also continued as a manufacturer, increasingly specializing in the production of shoes. The A.W. Rich Shoe Company manufactured a wide range of footwear products. Perhaps their best-known project was Wigwam slippers. Which were available in black, chocolate, tan and wine colors for $10. He was eventually granted several patents for shoe design. By the 1880s he employed 800 workers and produced 2,500 pairs of shoes a day. The factory was located in a massive brick building at the corner of Reed and Water Streets in Milwaukee; the building survives and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Another manufacturing enterprise was the Cream City Clothing Company begun in 1883.
. Its goal was to funnel some of the large number of newly arrived Eastern European Jews away from larger cities and into the countryside. Rich led the efforts of its Wisconsin branch, the Milwaukee Jewish Industrial Aid Society. Its aim was to settle 18 families on a 720 acres (2.9 km²) tract of cutover timberland. They wanted to establish “a true Zion”, but “on a moderate scale. The first settlers arrived on 1 December 1904. In 1915, a Jewish house of worship was established. Wisconsin Public Television
’s 2008 video, “Chosen Towns”, features interviews with several former residents of Arpin. The settlement at Arpin was at first successful, but the days of the successful small-scale farmer was over, and the families eventually dispersed.
Among Rich’s many other charitable projects were the Hebrew Relief Organization, the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition of 1880, the Young Men’s Hebrew Association, the Milwaukee Musical Society, the Provident Dispensary, and Associated Charities. He helped raise funds for the relief of the several yellow fever
epidemics, the 1875 Oshkosh fire, the 1889 Johnstown flood
, and the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
in 1888.
Arpin, Wisconsin
Arpin is a village in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 337 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles , all of it land....
.
Early life
He was born Adolphus Reich on 27 July 1843 in the town of Somos (now Sumig), in east central HungaryHungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the son of Emanuel Rich (ca. 1819- 24 April 1888) and Sarah H. Gladstone (ca. 1826 - ca. 1871). Soon after their arrival in the United States the family Americanized its surname to "Rich". In later life Rich generally used the given name “Adolph”, but in his patents and passport application styled himself “Adolphus Rich.” In Hungary, Rich learned German, Hungarian, and Hebrew, but eventually became fluent and well read in English.
When he was 10, his family left Europe, arriving at New York City on 24 October 1854 on the ship M. du Emile. In 1855 Emanuel Rich took his family to join relatives in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. After two years in Cleveland, the family moved to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. On 3 October 1857 Emanual purchased 120 acre (0.4856232 km²) in Saginaw County, Michigan
Saginaw County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 210,039 people, 80,430 households, and 55,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 260 people per square mile . There were 85,505 housing units at an average density of 106 per square mile...
from the United States government. The land was heavily wooded and Rich worked with his father to clear the land. After three years, the family moved to nearby Owosso
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is a city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,713 at the 2000 census. The city is located on the eastern side of Owosso Township, but is politically independent...
, in Shiawassee County
Shiawassee County, Michigan
-Transportation:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,687 people, 26,896 households, and 19,849 families residing in the county. The population density was 133 people per square mile . There were 29,087 housing units at an average density of 54 per square mile...
, where the elder Rich made a living as a peddler. The Emanuel Rich family eventually settled in Pentwater, Michigan
Pentwater, Michigan
Pentwater is a village in Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 958 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Pentwater Township. Pentwater is home to Mears State Park. The name Pentwater comes from Pent or Penned up waters...
.
Manufacturer
At the age of 17, Rich left Owasso to work as a peddler, factory hand, and eventually as a traveling salesman of eye glasses. In 1863 he became a naturalized United States citizen. In 1865, he arrived in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
and began an optical business, which soon failed. He then began the manufacture and sale of ladies' goods, particularly hoop skirts. Within six years the firm had grown to 300 employees. From 1874 to 1893 he worked in partnership with Lewis Silber, doing business as A.W. Rich and Company with their store located. on Broadway in Milwaukee. The firm handled a complete line of ladies' goods. Rich also continued as a manufacturer, increasingly specializing in the production of shoes. The A.W. Rich Shoe Company manufactured a wide range of footwear products. Perhaps their best-known project was Wigwam slippers. Which were available in black, chocolate, tan and wine colors for $10. He was eventually granted several patents for shoe design. By the 1880s he employed 800 workers and produced 2,500 pairs of shoes a day. The factory was located in a massive brick building at the corner of Reed and Water Streets in Milwaukee; the building survives and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Another manufacturing enterprise was the Cream City Clothing Company begun in 1883.
Philanthropy
Rich was involved in numerous charitable projects. Perhaps the best known was the Jewish agricultural colony at Arpin, in Wood County, Wisconsin. The project was assisted by The Industrial Removal Office which had been established by Baron Maurice de HirschMaurice de Hirsch
Maurice de Hirsch was a German-Jewish philanthropist who set up charitable foundations to promote Jewish education and improve the lot of oppressed European Jewry. He was the founder of the Jewish Colonization Association which sponsored large-scale Jewish immigration to Argentina...
. Its goal was to funnel some of the large number of newly arrived Eastern European Jews away from larger cities and into the countryside. Rich led the efforts of its Wisconsin branch, the Milwaukee Jewish Industrial Aid Society. Its aim was to settle 18 families on a 720 acres (2.9 km²) tract of cutover timberland. They wanted to establish “a true Zion”, but “on a moderate scale. The first settlers arrived on 1 December 1904. In 1915, a Jewish house of worship was established. Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television
Wisconsin Public Television is a state network of public television stations operated primarily by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board and the University of Wisconsin–Extension...
’s 2008 video, “Chosen Towns”, features interviews with several former residents of Arpin. The settlement at Arpin was at first successful, but the days of the successful small-scale farmer was over, and the families eventually dispersed.
Among Rich’s many other charitable projects were the Hebrew Relief Organization, the Milwaukee Industrial Exposition of 1880, the Young Men’s Hebrew Association, the Milwaukee Musical Society, the Provident Dispensary, and Associated Charities. He helped raise funds for the relief of the several yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemics, the 1875 Oshkosh fire, the 1889 Johnstown flood
Johnstown Flood
The Johnstown Flood occurred on May 31, 1889. It was the result of the catastrophic failure of the South Fork Dam situated upstream of the town of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, made worse by several days of extremely heavy rainfall...
, and the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
Family
On 4 February 1871 Rich married Rosa Sidenberg (1850- 11 November 1838). Five of the couple’s eight children reached maturity. Rich was deeply interested in literature, music and the arts. He was president of two literary societies. In the 1890s, he was head of the Milwaukee Theatre Company, which performed at the Davidson Theatre. He converted the third floor of his house at 638 Astor Street into a theatre where his daughters' stage group gave amateur performances for friends and family. His third daughter, Edith Juliet Rich Isaacs, (27 March 1878 – 10 January 1876) became a noted American drama critic and long-time editor of Theatre Arts. Rich traveled extensively and wrote a series of travel letters for Milwaukee newspapers using the pen name "Lillian". Adolph W. Rich died of a heart attack on 6 March 1917 and was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Milwaukee with his wife, several children, and his father, who had died in Pentwater, MichiganPentwater, Michigan
Pentwater is a village in Oceana County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 958 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Pentwater Township. Pentwater is home to Mears State Park. The name Pentwater comes from Pent or Penned up waters...
in 1888.