William Ziegler
Encyclopedia
William Ziegler was an American industrialist who was one of the founders of the Royal Baking Powder Company
. He ended up suing his partners in a bitter legal battle. His other interests were organizing Arctic expeditions and yachting.
, of German parents. His father, Francis Ziegler, died in 1846, and in 1848 his mother, Ernestine Ziegler, married Conrad Brandt. The family moved to Muscatine, Iowa
, where his stepfather had a farm. He was educated in the public schools there and became a printer's apprentice in a newspaper office. He later became a clerk in a drug store and studied telegraphy and chemistry. In 1862, he enrolled in the Eastman Business School
in Poughkeepsie, New York. After he completed his course there, he went to New York City
where he worked for a wholesale drug and chemical company from 1863 to 1868. At the same time he took a course at the College of Pharmacy.
and John H. Seal organized the Royal Chemical Company, which later became the Royal Baking Powder Company
. In 1888 he sold his hares for $4,000,000. With the proceeds of the sale he bought the Price Baking Powder Company of Chicago and the Tartar Chemical Company in Jersey City, New Jersey
.
. This suit was conducted successfully at an expense of about $100,000 and saved nearly $1,500,000 to the people of Brooklyn. A similar taxpayers' suit brought by him compelled the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad
to pay nearly $500,000 in taxes to the city. Another notable suit was brought by him as a minority stockholder of the Lake Elevated Railroad of Chicago
. It resulted in his securing $1,000,000 damages, and in setting a most important legal precedent.
, in charge of a relief expedition on the ship Frithjof. Baldwin's differences with his sailing master, Johansen, were followed by his recall. Upon the explorer's arrival in this country, it was announced that all relations between him and Ziegler were off. The third expedition
fitted out by Mr. Ziegler, and which was still in the arctic regions at the time of his death, was sent out in the summer of 1903 under the command of Anthony Fiala
and Captain Edward Coffin of Edgartown, Massachusetts
.
, the New York, Larchmont, and Atlantic Yacht clubs, the Union League Club of Chicago
, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, the American Geographical Society
, the Arctic Club of New York, and the Caughnawaga Hunting and Fishing Club of Quebec. He was a Mason and a Knight Templar.
Royal Baking Powder Company
The Royal Baking Powder Company was one of the largest producers of baking powder in the US. It was started by Joseph C. Hoagland in 1866....
. He ended up suing his partners in a bitter legal battle. His other interests were organizing Arctic expeditions and yachting.
Biography
He was born in Beaver County, PennsylvaniaBeaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
, of German parents. His father, Francis Ziegler, died in 1846, and in 1848 his mother, Ernestine Ziegler, married Conrad Brandt. The family moved to Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...
, where his stepfather had a farm. He was educated in the public schools there and became a printer's apprentice in a newspaper office. He later became a clerk in a drug store and studied telegraphy and chemistry. In 1862, he enrolled in the Eastman Business School
Eastman Business College
The Eastman Business College was a business school located in Poughkeepsie, New York.It was founded in 1859 by Harvey G. Eastman, and was for a time one of the largest commercial schools in the United States....
in Poughkeepsie, New York. After he completed his course there, he went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he worked for a wholesale drug and chemical company from 1863 to 1868. At the same time he took a course at the College of Pharmacy.
Royal Baking Powder
In 1870 William Ziegler and Joseph Christoffel HoaglandJoseph Christoffel Hoagland
Joseph Christoffel Hoagland was the president of the Royal Baking Powder Company.-Biography:He was born on June 19, 1841 in Ohio to Andrew Hoagland, and he had a brother, Cornelius Hoagland . In 1865 he married Caroline C. Matlack and they had a son, John A...
and John H. Seal organized the Royal Chemical Company, which later became the Royal Baking Powder Company
Royal Baking Powder Company
The Royal Baking Powder Company was one of the largest producers of baking powder in the US. It was started by Joseph C. Hoagland in 1866....
. In 1888 he sold his hares for $4,000,000. With the proceeds of the sale he bought the Price Baking Powder Company of Chicago and the Tartar Chemical Company in Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
.
Litigant
Ziegler is remembered as the public-spirited plaintiff in a tax-payers' suit to prevent a "deal" between the Long Island Water Company and the City of BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. This suit was conducted successfully at an expense of about $100,000 and saved nearly $1,500,000 to the people of Brooklyn. A similar taxpayers' suit brought by him compelled the Brooklyn Elevated Railroad
Brooklyn Elevated Railroad
The Brooklyn Elevated Railroad was an elevated railroad company in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, operated from 1885 until 1899, when it was merged into the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company-controlled Brooklyn Union Elevated Railroad.-Lines:...
to pay nearly $500,000 in taxes to the city. Another notable suit was brought by him as a minority stockholder of the Lake Elevated Railroad of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It resulted in his securing $1,000,000 damages, and in setting a most important legal precedent.
Arctic expeditions
In 1901, Ziegler became interested in polar research and fitted out his first expedition, consisting of the two ships, America and Belgica, which he placed in charge of Evelyn Briggs Baldwin. "A Dash for the Pole" was Mr. Ziegler's novel idea. The next Spring, Mr. Ziegler sent out his private secretary, William S. ChampChamp Island
Champ Island is an island in the central area of Franz Josef Land, Russia.Champ Island has a surface of and there is a wide unglacierized zone in the southwest of the island. The highest point of the island is ....
, in charge of a relief expedition on the ship Frithjof. Baldwin's differences with his sailing master, Johansen, were followed by his recall. Upon the explorer's arrival in this country, it was announced that all relations between him and Ziegler were off. The third expedition
Ziegler Polar Expedition
The Ziegler polar expedition of 1903–1905 was a failed attempt to reach the North Pole. The party remained stranded north of the Arctic Circle for two years before being rescued, yet all but one of its members survived. The expedition, funded by William Ziegler and led by Anthony Fiala, departed...
fitted out by Mr. Ziegler, and which was still in the arctic regions at the time of his death, was sent out in the summer of 1903 under the command of Anthony Fiala
Anthony Fiala
Anthony Fiala was an American explorer, born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and educated at Cooper Union and the National Academy of Design, New York City...
and Captain Edward Coffin of Edgartown, Massachusetts
Edgartown, Massachusetts
Edgartown is a town located on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,779 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dukes County. Edgartown has the largest population and area in the entire Dukes County and Martha's Vineyard.- History :In 1642....
.
Indictment for bribery
In January 1902, Ziegler was indicted for bribery in connection with the baking powder scandal in the Missouri Legislature. Governor Odeil declined to honor the requisition issued by Governor Dockery, and Ziegler was never tried on the indictment. He declared he could prove an alibi, and that Baldwin had instigated the charge.Yachting
Ziegler at one time owned a sloop yacht named Thistle, which was entered in the race for the Kaiser's Cup. On one of his yachting expeditions to the South in April, 1895, he was reported drowned. In three days he turned up. Grief over his reported death, it was said at the time, killed John G. Demorest, his brother-in-law.Marriage
In August 1886, at the age of forty-three, Ziegler married Mrs. E. M. Gamble of New York. He was a Director of the Irving National Bank, and a member of the following clubs: Down-Town Club of New York, the Union League Club of BrooklynUnion League Club of New York
The Union League Club of New York is a private social club in New York City. Its fourth and current clubhouse, which opened on February 2, 1931, is a building designed by Benjamin Wistar Morris, III, located at 38 East 37th Street between Madison and Park Avenue in the Murray Hill section of...
, the New York, Larchmont, and Atlantic Yacht clubs, the Union League Club of Chicago
Union League Club of Chicago
The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent social club located in downtown Chicago.-History:The Club can trace its roots to 1862, when radical southern sympathizers in the north were plotting an insurrection in Lincoln’s home state...
, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, the American Geographical Society
American Geographical Society
The American Geographical Society is an organization of professional geographers, founded in 1851 in New York City. Most fellows of the society are Americans, but among them have always been a significant number of fellows from around the world...
, the Arctic Club of New York, and the Caughnawaga Hunting and Fishing Club of Quebec. He was a Mason and a Knight Templar.
Obituary
He died on May 25, 1905. The following is part of the obituary which appeared in the New York Times:
"William Ziegler died at his summer home, on Great Island, Darien, Conn., at 6:45 o'clock this morning. The direct cause of death was apoplexy. He never had fully recovered from injuries sustained in a runaway accident last October, and to this was added worry over a serious accident to his adopted son six weeks ago. Mr. Ziegler suffered a stroke last Sunday, and on Monday night Dr. Avery, the attending physician, gave up hope. The son, who is thirteen years old, will not be able to attend the funeral because of his injuries. Mr. Ziegler's secretary, Mr. Champ, who is at Tromsoe, Norway, was notified by cable of Mr. Ziegler's death. He is in charge of the relief expedition sent out in search of Anthony Fiala. It was stated positively to night that he would sail for the Arctic regions early in June. Mr. Ziegler's funeral will be held on Saturday at noon at the residence on Great Island. The Rev. L. M. French, rector of St. Luke's Church, Noroton, will officiate. Entombment in the Ziegler mausoleum, at Woodlawn, will follow. Special cars will be attached to the train leaving New York at 10:04 Saturday morning for the New York friends. A special train will carry the mourners from Noroton to Woodlawn. William Ziegler, who sent, at his own expense, three large expeditions to find and plant the American flag at the North Pole, devoting a larger sum to the cause of Arctic exploration than any other man in the world, began life as a printer's apprentice. At his death, it is estimated, he was worth more than $10,000,000. Mr. Ziegler was sixty-two years old.