Gustav Konstantin von Alvensleben
Encyclopedia
Gustav Konstantin von Alvensleben, called Alvo von Alvensleben (* 25 July 1879 in Neugattersleben; † October 22, 1965 in Seattle, USA) was a German entrepreneur home in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada and Seattle, Washington
USA.
and was the third son of Werner von Alvensleben, later Werner von Alvensleben-Neugattersleben (1840-1928) and Anna von Veltheim (1853-1897) and had two sisters and four Brothers, including the businessman and politician Werner von Alvensleben
(1875-1947) and later president of the club Count Bodo von Alvensleben-Neugattersleben (1882-1961). The widow of his dead brother's 1914 Joachim (* 1872) was the abbess
of the convent at Heiligengrabe
and General Manager of the Protestant mission station Armgard of Alvensleben. On 2 April 1908, he married a teacher in Vancouver Edith Westcott (1878-1964). From this marriage there were three children out: Margret (1909-2005), Gero (* 1910) and Bodo (1913-1988).
, where he was working on the coffee farms of his older brother Joachim, he moved in the summer of 1904 finally to Vancouver (British Columbia) - with only four dollars in cash.
he saved 1500 U.S. dollars. With this money, he continued to make progress forming a real estate and finance company in 1907, which was named Alvensleben Finance and General Investment Company. He switched to credit bilateral large ads in the Vancouver Sun newspaper that he very quickly made known. He was also the cofounder in 1907 of the Vancouver Stock Exchange
on which he was active. There on some days more than half the daily turnover were his transactions.
His business was assisted by the assumption that as his father was a close friend of Kaiser Wilhelm
he was investing his money and representing his business interests. This caused other Germans to wish to invest their funds along side. In fact most of the Kaiser's investments were in German municipal securities and with the firm of Bleichroder.
Alvensleben embodied in this time the "American Dream": He had by vigor, vision and entrepreneurial risk-taking within a few years advanced from a simple day laborer to become a millionaire in high finance. Even within his lifetime he was regarded as a legend and is now considered one of the great figures from the pioneering days of British Columbia's views.
. He was held in the internment camps Fort Douglas
in the state of Utah
, from 1920 until he again dismissed. He was acquitted after the war though others in his organization were found guilty. Among his defenders was his arresting officer. He then worked in real estate business and as a stockbroker in Seattle, but without his previous economic successes, he could not operate on the same scale again. In 1939 he was naturalized as an American citizen.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
USA.
Family
He was a descendant of the German noble family von AlvenslebenVon Alvensleben
von Alvensleben may refer to:* Christian von Alvensleben , German photographer* Constantin von Alvensleben , Prussian general* Gustav von Alvensleben , Prussian general* Ludolf von Alvensleben , Nazi official...
and was the third son of Werner von Alvensleben, later Werner von Alvensleben-Neugattersleben (1840-1928) and Anna von Veltheim (1853-1897) and had two sisters and four Brothers, including the businessman and politician Werner von Alvensleben
Werner von Alvensleben
Werner von Alvensleben was a German businessman and politician.He was the second son of Werner Graf von Alvensleben-Neugattersleben and Anna von Veltheim...
(1875-1947) and later president of the club Count Bodo von Alvensleben-Neugattersleben (1882-1961). The widow of his dead brother's 1914 Joachim (* 1872) was the abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
of the convent at Heiligengrabe
Heiligengrabe
Heiligengrabe is a municipality in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin district, in Brandenburg, Germany.-Geography:The munciipality counts 13 villages : Blandikow, Blesendorf, Blumenthal, Grabow bei Blumenthal, Herzsprung, Jabel, Königsberg, Liebenthal, Maulbeerwalde, Papenbruch, Rosenwinkel, Wernikow and...
and General Manager of the Protestant mission station Armgard of Alvensleben. On 2 April 1908, he married a teacher in Vancouver Edith Westcott (1878-1964). From this marriage there were three children out: Margret (1909-2005), Gero (* 1910) and Bodo (1913-1988).
Early Life
After attending the Institute of Cadets, he initially began a military career that he entered as a lieutenant. He made his unscheduled farewell and migrated to the Americas. This was because after a publicised argument his father no longer wanted to pay a supplementary allowance. After a brief stay in El SalvadorEl Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, where he was working on the coffee farms of his older brother Joachim, he moved in the summer of 1904 finally to Vancouver (British Columbia) - with only four dollars in cash.
Life in Vancouver
First, he worked as a farm laborer, night watchman, fishermen, hunters and sellers of poultry through life, could then buy a boat and after a successful season working on the Fraser RiverFraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
he saved 1500 U.S. dollars. With this money, he continued to make progress forming a real estate and finance company in 1907, which was named Alvensleben Finance and General Investment Company. He switched to credit bilateral large ads in the Vancouver Sun newspaper that he very quickly made known. He was also the cofounder in 1907 of the Vancouver Stock Exchange
Vancouver Stock Exchange
The Vancouver Stock Exchange was a stock exchange based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was incorporated 1906 and was the third major stock exchange in Canada, after the Toronto Stock Exchange and Montreal Stock Exchange , and featured many small-cap and exploration stocks.In 1991, it listed...
on which he was active. There on some days more than half the daily turnover were his transactions.
Vancouver Real Estate Boom
Vancouver experienced at this time a real estate boom and a strong economic upturn. Alvensleben succeeded in subsequent years, bringing much German and European capital for investment in British Columbia to mobilize and had significantly contributed to this upturn. This time he worked with his brother Werner, who also had emigrated to Vancouver. Around 1912 were in his company directly employs 50 staff and he had stakes in many companies, including Standard and Fish Fertilizer, Standard Fisheries and Whaling, Vancouver Timber and Trading, Queen Charlotte Iceland Fisheries, Indian River Park (Wigwam Inn), German-Canadian Trust Company, Cassiar Mining, Vancouver-Nanaimo Coal Mining and Issaquah & Superior Mining Company.His business was assisted by the assumption that as his father was a close friend of Kaiser Wilhelm
Kaiser Wilhelm
Kaiser Wilhelm is a common reference to two German emperors:* Wilhelm I, German Emperor , King of Prussia; became the first Kaiser of a united Germany...
he was investing his money and representing his business interests. This caused other Germans to wish to invest their funds along side. In fact most of the Kaiser's investments were in German municipal securities and with the firm of Bleichroder.
Issaquah & Superior Mining
The latter was at Issaquah in King County in the U.S. state of Washington, USA. Alvensleben became involved there in a restructuring after the mine through many years of labor disputes had been declared bankrupt. The contemporary accounts stated that the mine facilities have been modernized and more than 500 workers employed. The contemporary chroniclers report that Alvensleben created labor peace with "almost socialistic ideas" he restored it by paying fair wages, humane working conditions and fostering good opportunities for residential care and cooperated sensibly with the unions. The rehabilitation of the mine caused a boom in construction: "In 1913 in Issaquah will be more residential and commercial buildings have been built as in the two decades before".Alvensleben embodied in this time the "American Dream": He had by vigor, vision and entrepreneurial risk-taking within a few years advanced from a simple day laborer to become a millionaire in high finance. Even within his lifetime he was regarded as a legend and is now considered one of the great figures from the pioneering days of British Columbia's views.
First World War
The outbreak of the First World War led to an abrupt end of his economic empire. His assets were confiscated as enemy property. He had to escape an arrest, leaving Canada and settled in Seattle / USA settled. Then in 1917 when the United States entered the war, he became suspected as a "spy". He was arrested by a business associate Marshall Latham BondMarshall Latham Bond
Marshall Latham Bond was one of two brothers who were Jack London's landlords and among his employers during the autumn of 1897 and the spring of 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush. They were the owners of the dog that Jack London fictionalized as Buck....
. He was held in the internment camps Fort Douglas
Fort Douglas, Utah
Camp Douglas was established in October 1862 as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, for the purpose of protecting the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In 1878, the post was renamed Fort Douglas. The fort was officially...
in the state of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, from 1920 until he again dismissed. He was acquitted after the war though others in his organization were found guilty. Among his defenders was his arresting officer. He then worked in real estate business and as a stockbroker in Seattle, but without his previous economic successes, he could not operate on the same scale again. In 1939 he was naturalized as an American citizen.
Literary References
- F. Penberthy: Alvo von Alvensleben. A Personal Sketch. In British Columbia Magazine (1911), p. 1303-1312
- Clarence B. Bagley: History of King County, Washington. Chicago-Seattle 1929, Chapter 42 on Issaquah.
- T.D. Regehr (ed): The Possibilities of Canada are Truly Great. Memoirs 1906-1924 by Martin Nordegg. Toronto 1971.
- D.G. Paterson: European Financial Capital and British Columbia: An Essay on the role of the Regional Entrepreneur, BC Studies 21 (1974) p. 33-47.
- Ingrid E. Laue: Gustav von Alvensleben Alvo Constantinople (1879-1965): The Prussian Pioneering in British Columbia. German-Canadian Historical Association, Inc. and Mecklenburg Historical Society of Upper Canada, Inc., Vancouver 1977.
- David Cruise, Allison Griffiths: Fleecing the Lamb: The Inside Story of the Vancouver Stock Exchange. Douglas & Mcintrye Ltd, 1987, Chapter 2: Alvo von Alvensleben, the First promoter, p. 17-30.
- Joerg A. Nagler: Enemy Aliens and Internment in World War I: Alvo von Alvensleben, Fort Douglas, Utah, A Case Study. Utah Historical Quarterly 58 (case 1990), p. 388-405.
- Private Archives of Family v. Alvensleben e.V.