Henry C. Berghoff

Henry C. Berghoff
19th Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana
In office 1901–1905
Preceded by	Henry P. Scherer
Succeeded by	William J. Hosey
Personal details
Born	January 6, 1856 Dortmund, Germany
Died	June 28, 1925 (aged 69) Fort Wayne, Indiana
Citizenship	American
Nationality	German-American
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Theresa Mayer Berghoff (m. 1877)
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, businessman

Henry Carl Berghoff (January 6, 1856 – June 28, 1925) was a German-American politician, lawyer, and businessman who cofounded the Herman Berghoff Brewing Company and served as the 19th Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1901 to 1905.

Early life[]

Henry Carl Berghoff was born January 6, 1856, in Dortmund, Germany (then Prussia), the son of Franz Anton and Lizette (Boelhauve) Berghoff. Henry had five brothers (Theodor, Anton, Herman, Hubert, and Gustav) and one sister (Elizabeth). In Dortmund, Henry received a high school education, and held a job at a bank.^[1] In 1872, Henry immigrated to the United States, and settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana.^[1][2] Berghoff chose to settle in Fort Wayne supposedly after he was offered a job there when the train he was aboard made a stop in the city.^[1][2] During the next few years after his arrival in the United States, he held a range of jobs as a clerk and a bookkeeper, and he also studied law.^[1] In 1877, Henry married Theresa Mayer.^[2]

Business career[]

In 1883, Berghoff and his brother Herman bought East End Bottling Works, a bottling company in Fort Wayne. In 1887, Henry and three of his brothers who had immigrated to the United States, Herman, Hubert, and Gustav, established the Herman Berghoff Brewing Company in Fort Wayne. Throughout the rest of his life, Henry served as secretary, vice president, and treasurer of the business. The brand of beer Henry and his brothers sold under the Herman Berghoff Brewing Company was known as “Berghoff’s Beer.” In 1888, the brothers opened their first Berghoff Brewery in Fort Wayne. At the brewery, Berghoff’s Beer was brewed and sold. On August 22, the brothers experienced a setback when the brewery caught fire, resulting in $50,000 dollars in damages. Brewing resumed exactly a month later.^[3] In 1892, Gustav purchased Summit City Bottle Works, where Henry served as vice president.^[3][4] In 1898, Herman opened a restaurant called The Berghoff, in Chicago, where it is still open today. The restaurant served Berghoff’s Beer.^[1][2][3] Around this time, the name of the brother’s brewing company was changed to the “Berghoff Brewing Company.”^[3] Henry also entered into a partnership with Artificial Ice Company, was the proprietor of Globe Spice Mills, and was the treasurer of Phoenix Building and Savings Union.^[1]

Political career[]

Berghoff, a Democrat, served as treasurer of Fort Wayne for three terms, from 1885 to 1891.^[1][4] In 1890, he ran for Indiana State Treasurer, but lost to businessman Albert Gall.^[5] On Memorial Day in 1893, Fort Wayne railway workers went on strike, demanding their pay be increased from thirteen and a half cents an hour to fifteen cents an hour. The workers quickly resorted to rioting. Sheriff E. F. Clausmeier appointed multiple civilians to the position of deputy sheriff to assist him in putting down the disturbances, among them Henry Berghoff. On June 2, Berghoff spoke at the meeting that was held to review measures to put down the riots. The rioting ended that day after the strikers’ demands of wage increase were met.^[4] Berghoff returned to politics in 1896, serving as comptroller of Fort Wayne for two terms, from then until 1901.^[1][4]

1901 Fort Wayne Mayoral election[]

In April 1901, Berghoff received the Democratic nomination for mayor of Fort Wayne. The other nominees for mayor were Republican Charles Reese and Socialist Martin H. Wefel. The 1901 Fort Wayne Mayoral Election was very heated. During this time, Americans held unfavorable views towards Kaiser Wilhelm II and the German Empire, and so Berghoff was harshly criticized for his German birth by some leading Fort Wayne Republicans, and consequently, they were accused of xenophobia by members of the Democratic Party.^[1] Despite the criticism of his heritage, Berghoff won the May 7, 1901 general election with 5176 of the 9209 votes cast.^[1][4][6] He was sworn in two days later.^[6]

Mayoralty[]

1901[]

Berghoff, who succeeded Henry P. Scherer, served as mayor of Fort Wayne from 1901 to 1905.^[4][7] During his mayoralty, Berghoff, along with other city officials, annually wrote messages to the Common Council of Fort Wayne, informing them on the business and financial situation of the city.^{[8][9][10][11]} Immediately after taking office as mayor of Fort Wayne on May 9, Berghoff appointed W. H. Shambaugh as city attorney, Joseph Fox as comptroller, and Peter Eggeman, William Doehrmann, and Henry C. Zollinger as members of the Board of Public Works.^[12] A major event in Berghoff’s mayoralty occurred in September 1901, when the first electric interurban railway in Fort Wayne, the Fort Wayne and Northern Indiana Traction Company line, was opened. This helped establish Fort Wayne as an important center of freight and passenger traffic in the Midwest.^[4]

Public Morals[]

From the start of his mayoralty, Berghoff aimed to restrict immorality and crime as much as possible. He ordered the removal of wine rooms from saloons, and to prohibit those of bad character from entering those places. Berghoff also ordered the removal of gambling devices from public places.^[9]

Indiana District Turnfest[]

On June 15, 1901, the biennial Indiana District Turnfest, a celebration of German culture and a gymnastic festival, was held in Fort Wayne. Over 3000 people attended the event. Berghoff spoke at the event, praising Germans in America for their contributions to the United States, and encouraging those of German heritage to maintain their German customs. After expressing pride in his German origins in his speech, Berghoff criticized those who avoided demonstrations of their German heritage. After the Turnfest, The Journal Gazette claimed the event would go down as the most successful Turnfest ever held in the Indiana District.^[1]

State, ex. rel., v. Berghoff[]

In April 1902, the Indiana State Supreme Court, ruling against Berghoff in State, ex. rel., v. Berghoff,^[13] declared valid the appointment made by Indiana Governor Winfield T. Durbin of Robert B. Dreibelbiss, a Republican, as judge of the Fort Wayne Municipal (Police) Court, after the previous judge, George W. Louttit, a Democrat, had been removed from the bench on the grounds that the office had been created two days after his (Louttit’s) election to the position.^[4][13] Berghoff, believing the grounds for Louttit’s removal were unconstitutional, refused to approve Dreibelbiss’ official bond required by law to serve as judge of the Fort Wayne Municipal Court.^[4][13] In the Indiana Circuit Court, Berghoff’s opinion was upheld, although upon further review in the Indiana Supreme Court, it was decided the governor’s appointment was legitimate, as mentioned earlier.^[4][13]

Rest of 1902 and 1903[]

In September 1902, the construction of the current Allen County Courthouse was completed, and Berghoff was present at the courthouse’s dedication ceremonies.^[4] During Berghoff’s mayoralty in 1902, postal sub-stations were established in Fort Wayne for the first time. All of the sub-stations were located in drugstores.^[4] Also during Berghoff’s mayoralty in 1902, the Fort Wayne Fair association was established.^[4] In 1903, during Berghoff’s mayoralty, the Fort Wayne Rolling Mills were established. Two hundred and fifty workmen were brought from Chicago to be employed there when the mills opened.^[4]

Fort Wayne Typhoid Fever Outbreak[]

In November 1903, water contaminated with typhoid bacteria from the St. Marys River entered Fort Wayne’s main water supply, causing an outbreak of typhoid fever in Fort Wayne.^[14] However, it was not until February 1904 that the City Health Commissioner, Dr. A. H. Macbeth, alerted the public about the presence of typhoid bacteria in their drinking water.^[14] Despite there being over 80 new cases of typhoid fever in Fort Wayne, The Journal Gazette defended him, instead putting the blame for the typhoid fever outbreak on Republican waterworks trustees who had taken charge of the water plant in 1903.^[14] However, The News-Sentinel, through journalist Jesse Greene, stated that a 1900 city ordinance required the health commissioner, and not the waterworks trustees, to run weekly tests on the city’s water.^[14] Greene also called on Berghoff to demand Macbeth’s resignation, which Berghoff did not do.^[14] On March 26, 1904, Berghoff announced to Fort Wayne citizens that their drinking water was safe to drink again.^[14] In the statement, Berghoff chose not to blame anyone, most notably the Republican waterworks officials, for the typhoid fever outbreak.^[14]

Rest of 1904 and 1905[]

In July 1904, Berghoff addressed the Indiana State Bar Association at its eighth annual meeting, where he was hailed as “the best mayor of the best city in America” by the association’s president, Willliam P. Breen.^[15] Sometime in 1904, under Berghoff’s leadership, a short railway in Fort Wayne, the Lake Erie and Fort Wayne Belt Line Railway, was opened.^[4] In February 1905, under Berghoff’s mayoralty, the Fort Wayne Clearing House was established by representatives of the financial institutions in the city. The institutions that founded the clearing house passed their financial exchanges through it each business day.^[4] In April 1905, Berghoff appointed the first Fort Wayne Board of Park Commissioners.^[4][16] Berghoff, after serving one term as mayor, was succeeded by William J. Hosey.^[4][7]

Later life and death[]

After serving as mayor of Fort Wayne, Berghoff, in 1905, assisted in the creation of the German-American National Bank, where he served as head cashier.^[1][4] During World War I, it was renamed to “Lincoln National Bank.”^[17] Berghoff also held positions at Wayne Oil Tank and continued to serve as vice president Summit City Bottle Works, renamed “Rub-No-More Soap Company” in 1912, subsequent to his mayoralty.^[1][3][4] Also subsequent to his mayoralty, Henry had more time to pay attention to the Berghoff Brewery in Fort Wayne. In 1909, a year after Hubert stepped down as vice president and manager of the Berghoff Brewing Company due to poor health, the company was reorganized, and its named was changed to the “Berghoff Brewing Association.”^[3] On April 12, 1918, Prohibition began in Indiana, and production of Berghoff’s Beer was halted. The Berghoff Brewing Association was renamed to “Berghoff Products” and “Brewers of Bergo Soft Drinks.”^[3] Berghoff never lived to see the end of Prohibition, when alcoholic beer was brewed at the Berghoff Brewery once again. Berghoff died aged 69 on June 28, 1925 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, after suffering an apoplectic stroke three days before.^[18][19]

Personal life[]

Berghoff, a Catholic, was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, the Holy Name Society, the Knights of Columbus, and the Catholic Knights of America.^[1]

Berghoff’s wife, Theresa Mayer (who survived her husband, dying in 1955 at the age of 99), was a daughter of Lorenz and Maria Mayer.^[20][21] Berghoff’s brothers Herman and Hubert, like Henry, both married daughters of Lorenz and Maria Mayer, while another Berghoff brother, Gustav, married Maria’s niece.^[2]

Berghoff and his wife had eight children: Lawrence, Joseph, Carl, Frederick, Augustus, Raymond, Elsie, and Arthur.^[19]

Berghoff, his wife, and seven of their children are buried in Catholic Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Indiana.^[19]

See also[]

• The Berghoff (Restaurant)
• List of Mayors of Fort Wayne

References[]

External links[]

First Annual Message of Henry C. Berghoff, Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana with Annual Reports of Heads of Departments of the City Government for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1901.

Second Annual Message of Henry C. Berghoff, Mayor of Ford Wayne, Indiana with Annual Reports of Heads of Departments of the City Government for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1902.

Third Annual Message of Henry C. Berghoff, Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana with Annual Reports of Heads of Departments of the City Government for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1903.

Fourth Annual Message of Henry C. Berghoff, Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana with Annual Reports of Heads of Departments of the City Government for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1904.

Preceded by Henry P. Scherer

Mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana 1901 — 1905

Succeeded by William J. Hosey