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Anton Klaus
(1829 - 1899)
Mayor Anton Klaus 1868, 1869, 1870
Anton Klaus was born in Brutting, Prussia, December 30, 1829. Anton was the fourth child in the family of five boys. His brothers were John, Joseph, Charles and Philipp. Anton was a year younger than Charles and two years senior to Philipp. He apparently had all the solid qualities of his brothers plus a colorful personality and a flair for leadership that they lacked.
Anton was a month short of his twentieth birthday when he first saw Green Bay. What he did initially has been forgotten, but by 1853, when he was only twenty-four, he was successfully managing the Green Bay House, a small hotel on Washington Street just north of Astor Place.
On November 8, 1853 Anton married Appolonia Whiteson and they had four children, Atelia (born in 1850, probably daughter of Appolonia by a previous marriage), Appolonia (May 30, 1854), Mary (November 8, 1858), and John Anton (October 16, 1860). Green Bay became a city in 1854, and a year later Anton was elected City Treasurer. He withdrew from the operation of his hotel, which he leased to his brothers, but after one term in office returned to the business and proceeded to make good money from it.
After the Depression of 1857, the lumber boom began to roll again and Anton was right into it. He began by building a sawmill, acquired others, and then branched into the special field of trading in shingles. He ultimately owned a large number of shingle mills and operated others under lease.
Logging in 1876
By 1870, when Green Bay was the primary shingle market of the world, Anton Klaus was the biggest shingle buyer, manufacturer, and trader in the United States. Already wealthy and with the boom at it height, he was considered one of the most successful and prominent citizens of his adopted home. He had already served two terms as mayor and was working at the third.
An enthusiastic booster and firm believer in Green Bay's future, he reinvested his money in the city as fast as he made it. He bought or built all over town and was interested in many enterprises. He even owned another hotel.
His pride was one of the largest business "blocks" in town on the corner of Washington and Main Streets opposite the Beaumont Hotel. In 1866, he secured the contract for and laid the city's first pavement on Washington Street.
Klaus home was located on the corner of Jefferson and Crooks Streets.
Meanwhile, he had gained a reputation for liberality and an interest in anything that promised civic betterment. For years, his name automatically headed every public subscription list, and he was always one of the most generous donors.
He entered the local political scene early, being City Treasurer in 1855-56 and later County Treasurer. He served three terms on the City Council and in 1868 capped his political career by being elected mayor. He was re-elected in 1869 and again in 1870.
By 1873 he was rich but the money also spread all over. Most of his assets were tied up in real estate, building, and lumber mills. Then the Panic of 1873 >> struck, and Anton woke up one morning to find he was broke.
The sudden and complete cleaning discouraged even such an optimist as Anton Klaus. He was 44 years old, had been a big wheel, and he had his pride. Anton wasn't the kind to stay down long, however, and in 1874 he left Green Bay and headed west. He wound up in the new frontier community of Jamestown, ND, where the only way to go was up. With the return of prosperity, Klaus became a leader in the new town and quickly gained a position as a respected pioneer citizen.
Kelly & Elmore Warehouse & Dock on the west bank of the Fox River in Fort Howard taken before the Main Street bridge was built. Note several sailing schooners to the left and the wood burning locomotive at right side. 1868.
In the next twenty-three years, he recouped his fortunes; although, he never again attained the pinnacle he had enjoyed in Green Bay. However, he was extremely well-off when he died suddenly in Jamestown on July 22, 1899. His body was brought back to Green Bay where he was buried in the family lot in Allouez Cemetery. Appolinia died on November 2, 1894, three years prior to Anton and is buried with him and several of their children.
Interesting note: In the 1870 Census, Anton listed his real estate value as $120,000 which in 2006 dollars is $1,912,411, and his personal estate value as $140,000 which in 2006 dollars is $2,231,146.
Anton Klaus' gravestone in Allouez Cemetery, Green Bay, WI. The years have been hard on the stone and the writings are beginning to fade with wear. It is engraved on four sides and has individual stones also.
Read about
life in the 1880s