Charles Frederick Bliss (December 27, 1817July 11, 1894) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

immigrant, baker, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

pioneer. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, representing the city of

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

in the

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

and

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

sessions.

Biography

Charles F. Bliss was born on December 27, 1817, in the village of Niederweiler, in what is now the state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

in southern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. After the death of his father, in 1833, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with his mother. They settled originally at

Huron, Ohio Huron is a city in Erie County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,149 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Huron Township surrounds the City of Huron. History and culture Huron Townshi ...

, but his mother died just a few months after their arrival. He subsequently moved to

New York state New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

working in Buffalo and

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

. He had apprenticed as a baker in Germany, but went to work as a

cooper Cooper, Cooper's, Coopers and similar may refer to: * Cooper (profession), a maker of wooden casks and other staved vessels Arts and entertainment * Cooper (producers), alias of Dutch producers Klubbheads * Cooper (video game character), in ...

in New York to improve his income. In October 1848, he moved west to

, and settled at

. There, he resumed his profession as a baker and

confectioner Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

, and later began manufacturing and selling

soda water Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...

and beer. He sold out of his bakery in 1875, and from then-on prioritized manufacturing soda and cider vinegar. He was involved in local politics with the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. He served on the Racine County board of supervisors in 1858, 1859, and 1861, he was a member of the Racine city council in 1859 and 1872, and was a school commissioner in 1865 and 1870. In 1873, he was elected to his first term in the

, representing Racine County's first Assembly district, which then comprised just the city of Racine. He defeated incumbent Republican John Elkins and then won re-election in 1874, defeating former Assemblymember Horatio T. Taylor. He did not run for a third term in 1875. He died after an illness of several weeks at his home in Racine, on July 11, 1894.

Personal life and family

Charles F. Bliss married Catherine E. Closs on October 25, 1841, at Buffalo, New York. Closs was also a German American immigrant. They had five children together before her death in 1893. Their eldest daughter, Mary Jane, married

Louis Christian Klein Louis Christian Klein (October 13, 1832June 25, 1900) was an American businessman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the city of Racine in the 1885 session. He was considered the father of the ...

, another German American immigrant and Racine pioneer, who also served in the State Assembly. Their eldest son, George Seymour Bliss, was also prominent in Racine as a businessman and farmer. George's son, Harold Bliss, died in the

Iroquois Theatre fire The Iroquois Theatre fire occurred on December 30, 1903, at the Iroquois Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the deadliest theater fire and the deadliest single-building fire in U.S. history, resulting in at least 602 deaths. Thea ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in December 1903. He was a college student at the time, studying dentistry. Charles F. Bliss was involved in many local fraternal and religious organizations. He was one of the original trustees of the First German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Racine. The Church still exists at the same location in Racine, though the current church building was constructed in 1897. He was also active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1873, 1874)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1873 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1874

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bliss, Charles Frederick 1817 births 1894 deaths Emigrants from the Grand Duchy of Baden Immigrants to the United States People from the Grand Duchy of Baden People from Huron County, Ohio Politicians from Racine, Wisconsin American bakers Confectioners Wisconsin city council members Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly