Frederick H. Kreismann (August 7, 1869 – November 1, 1944) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as mayor of St. Louis, Missouri from 1909 to 1913. He was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Education and background

Kreismann was born in

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

and attended public schools in Quincy and St. Louis. He worked in civil engineering and surveying, and in 1890, he entered the insurance business, which became his career. In 1902 he married Pauline Whiteman and they had two children. Kreismann was interested in politics at an early age. In 1905 he ran for the position of City Clerk and was elected. He held this position until he resigned to run for mayor in 1909.

Term as mayor

Kreismann became the thirty-first Mayor of St. Louis in 1909. The city's population was growing rapidly at this time, rising from 575,238 in 1900 to 687,029 in 1910. St. Louis remained the fourth largest city in the United States. Much of Kriesmann's term as mayor was dedicated to policies that would manage this growth. He helped establish a Municipal Testing Laboratory, which went into operation in 1912. An ordinance that same year also gave the city's health commissioner the authority regulate the storage and transportation of food. Two important public buildings were completed during Kreismann's administration. Construction on the Municipal Courts Buildings began in August 1909 and was completed in 1911 at a cost of $967,000. The Central Library Building of the City's Public Library System was completed and opened on January 6, 1912. Another public works project, the construction of the McArthur Free Bridge, crossing the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

north of Downtown became a problem for Kriesmann because the $3,500,000 bond issue that had been authorized to fund the bridge did not provide sufficient funds for its completion. The bridge was eventually completed after another bond issue was approved during Mayor

Henry Kiel Henry W. Kiel (February 21, 1871 – November 26, 1942) was the 32nd Mayor of Saint Louis, serving from 1913 to 1925. Early life Henry W. Kiel's father was Henry F. Kiel, a well known contractor, who died in 1908. Henry F. Kiel also serve ...

's administration.

Later life

After his term as mayor ended, Kreismann returned to the insurance business. He retired in 1939. He died in

Webster Groves, Missouri Webster Groves is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The population was 22,995 at the 2010 census. The city is home to the main campus of Webster University. Geography Webster Groves is located at ( ...

on November 1, 1944, and was buried in

Bellefontaine Cemetery Bellefontaine Cemetery is a nonprofit, non-denominational cemetery and arboretum in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1849 as a rural cemetery, Bellefontaine is home to a number of architecturally significant monuments and mausoleums such as the ...

References

St. Louis Public Library
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kreismann, Frederick 1869 births 1944 deaths American people of German descent Mayors of St. Louis People from Webster Groves, Missouri People from Quincy, Illinois