George Urban Jr. (July 12, 1850 – February 23, 1928) was an American businessman from New York.

Life

Urban was born on July 12, 1850 in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, the son of George Urban and Marie Kern, both German immigrants from

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

. His father immigrated to America from Morsbronn and became a prominent Buffalo businessman. Urban attended public school. He began working for his father's flour business when he was sixteen. In 1870, he became a partner in the business. He became in charge of the business when his father retired in 1882. He was a founder and the first vice-president of the Buffalo Loan, Trust and Safe Deposit Company, becoming its president in 1892. He was an organizer and president of the Thomson-Houston Electric Light Company, and when it was sold to the Buffalo General Electric Light Company he became a vice-president in the latter company. He was an organizer and director of the Belleuve Land and Improvement Company and the Depew Land Company. He was a director of the Merchants' Bank, the Bank of Buffalo, the Buffalo German Insurance Company, the Buffalo Elevator Company, and the Western Transit Company. He was president of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Electric Light and Power Company and the Cataract Power and Conduit Company of Buffalo. His family's business was known as the George Urban Milling Company, and in 1903 the company built the first mill in Buffalo to be powered exclusive through electricity. Urban was a delegate to the

1884 Republican National Convention The 1884 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Exposition Hall in Chicago, Illinois, on June 3–6, 1884. It resulted in the nomination of former House Speaker James G. Blaine from Maine for presiden ...

. Although 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 ...

, he was close friends with

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

and played a key role in Cleveland's presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Republican county committee and a presidential elector in the

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

, and 1904 presidential elections. He was a member of the

New York Republican State Committee The New York Republican State Committee, established in 1855, is the New York State affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The party has headquarters in Albany, Buffalo, and New York City.

for several years. He lived in

Cheektowaga Cheektowaga () is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town has grown to a population of 89,877. The town is in the north-central part of the county, and is an inner ring suburb of Buffalo. The town is the ...

. In 1875, Urban married Ada E. Winspear of Cheektowaga. Their children were George Pennock (who became president of the George Urban Milling Company), Emma May, Ada Jeanette, and Clara Winspear (who married Dr. Charles W. Banta). Urban died at home following a three-week illness on February 23, 1928. He was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

References

External links

*
The Political Graveyard
' 1850 births 1928 deaths American people of German descent Businesspeople from Buffalo, New York People from Cheektowaga, New York 19th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesspeople American chief executives New York (state) Republicans 1896 United States presidential electors 1900 United States presidential electors 1904 United States presidential electors Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) {{DEFAULTSORT:Urban, George