Kurtis Froedtert
Encyclopedia
Kurtis R. Froedtert was a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 industrialist and benefactor from Milwaukee.

Background

Froedtert was born June 3, 1887 in the basement of a building near 6th and Vliet Street in Milwaukee (his parents insisted on a midwife-assisted birth, feeling that such events were too intimate for doctors). He attended the German-English Academy and the Michigan Military Academy
Michigan Military Academy
The Michigan Military Academy, also known as the M.M.A., was an all-boys military prep school in Orchard Lake Village, Oakland County, Michigan. It was founded in 1877 by Captain J. Sumner Rogers, and closed in 1908 due to bankruptcy...

, graduating the latter as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...

 in 1904.

Taking over the malting company

Froedtert originally planned to attend medical school, and was offered a scholarship to the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...

; but his father's health problems compelled him to stay close to home. He took over the family's malt company, the Froedtert Malting Company (later Froedtert Grain and Malting) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1915 after his father's death, and remained at its head until his death. His company processed germinated barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

 into malt
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...

, primarily for the use of the brewing
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...

 industry. In its time, Froedtert Malting Company was the largest such firm in the world.

Other interests

In the 1920s, Froedtert was known as a breeder of prize milch goats. By 1936, he was speculating in real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

, buying out the Sunny Isles development on Miami Beach; after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he branched out into real estate development
Real estate development
Real estate development, or Property Development, is a multifaceted business, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of improved land or parcels to others...

, developing the now-defunct Southgate and Northgate malls as well as Westgate, which was soon renamed Mayfair Mall
Mayfair Mall
Mayfair Mall is a shopping mall located on Mayfair Road between North Avenue and Center Street in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA. Mayfair Shopping Center was constructed in 1958 by the Hunzinger Construction Company...

.

Family

He married Mary Helf in 1927. They had two daughters, Mazie and Suzanne. Mary died in 1990 at the age of 91.In 1946, the disappearance of his 16-year-old daughter Suzanne from Edgewood Academy
Edgewood College
Edgewood College is a Dominican Catholic liberal arts college in Madison, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Madison. Overlooking the shores of Lake Wingra, it occupies on Madison's near west side....

, a Catholic girl's boarding school in Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

 made nationwide headlines. She was eventually discovered living in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

 with a 24-year-old truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...

 from Madison and working in a candy store, after a nationwide announcement of a search for her had been made on radio by Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell
Walter Winchell was an American newspaper and radio gossip commentator.-Professional career:Born Walter Weinschel in New York City, he left school in the sixth grade and started performing in a vaudeville troupe known as Gus Edwards' "Newsboys Sextet."His career in journalism was begun by posting...

. Suzanne later eloped to Crown Point, Indiana
Crown Point, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 27,317 people and 10,976 households in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.20% White, 6.30% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.90% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races...

 to marry a shoe store
Shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot while doing various activities. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture to culture, with appearance originally being tied to function...

 clerk.

Death and endowment

Upon his death on December 6, 1951 from complications of cancer of the stomach, Froedtert's will established a trust which designated $11 million dollars to go towards the creation of what would become Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital
Froedtert Hospital
Froedtert Hospital, , located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a teaching hospital and an ACS verified Level I adult trauma center, one of two such facilities in Wisconsin. Froedtert is the primary teaching affiliate of the Medical College of Wisconsin , where MCW students and residents receive their...

. 60% of his estate, which included $2 million worth of Miami Beach property, went into the trust; the remaining 40% to his widow and his daughter Mazie. Suzanne was cut off without a penny.

External links

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