Julius Houseman (December 8, 1832 – February 8, 1891) was an American businessman and politician who served as mayor of
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
, as representative in the
Michigan House of Representatives and as Congressman in the
U.S. House of Representatives.
Early life
He was born in
Zeckendorf (near
Bamberg), in the
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...
in the
German Confederation
The German Confederation (german: Deutscher Bund, ) was an association of 39 predominantly German-speaking sovereign states in Central Europe. It was created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as a replacement of the former Holy Roman Empire, w ...
. His father, Solomon Houseman, was a merchant and manufacturer of silk and cotton goods in Zeckendorf. Houseman was educated in the national schools of Zeckendorf and Bamberg and finished with a two-year course of study at a commercial school at
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
. He then worked as dry goods clerk in a store in Bavaria, where he remained for three years.
Career
He immigrated 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 territori ...
in 1851, at the age of nineteen, stopping first in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
, where he was clerk in a clothing house for a few months. He then moved to
New Vienna, Ohio, where he remained as clerk in a general store until March 1852. He then moved to
Battle Creek, Michigan, and engaged in the merchant tailoring and clothing business with Mr. I. Amberg, the firm name being ''Amberg & Houseman''. He moved to Grand Rapids in August 1852, before he was twenty years old, and established a branch of the Battle Creek firm. He is recognized as the first permanent Jewish settler of Grand Rapids.
The business prospered, and in 1854, he became sole proprietor, which he continued for nine years. In 1864 the firm of ''Houseman, Alsberg & Co.'' was organized, with branch houses in
New York,
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and
Savannah. The firm continued until 1870, when it was dissolved, with Mr. Houseman retaining possession of the Grand Rapids establishment. In 1876 he disposed of his business to his cousin, Joseph Houseman, who had been a partner for several years, and Moses May, who continued it for a number of years under the firm name of ''Houseman & May'', which was later succeeded by ''Houseman, Donally & Jones''.
Houseman had developed an active interest in other lines of business and investments, notably in timber lands and the manufacture of pine lumber in Michigan, and after 1876 devoted himself largely to those interests. He was one of the largest holders of real estate in the Grand Rapids area and also held large tracts in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...
and in other states.
He also became involved with other business interests in Grand Rapids. In 1870 he became a stockholder in the City National bank, the predecessor of the National City bank. In August 1874, he was chosen a director to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the late Ransom E. Wood, who was going to Europe with his family.
In 1882, at the annual meeting in January he was chosen vice president of the bank when the late William B. Ledyard declined a re-election because of infirm health. Houseman was one of the organizers of the Grand Rapids chair company, serving as a director and vice president. He was also a director of the Grand Rapids Brush company and a leading stockholder, director and president of the Grand Rapids Fire Insurance company. He was one of the founders and directors of the Michigan Trust company and was also identified with many other enterprises.
Political career
Houseman was also active in the political arena. He was member of the board of aldermen of Grand Rapids for eight years, from 1863 to 1870. He represented the first district of
Kent County in the
Michigan House of Representatives from 1871 to 1872, He served two terms as
mayor of Grand Rapids
This is a list of mayors of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The current mayor is Rosalynn Bliss, who was sworn into office on January 1, 2016.
References
{{Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat ...
in 1872-1873 and 1874–1875 and was an unsuccessful candidate for
lieutenant governor in 1876. He was elected as a
Fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
candidate and seated with the
Democrats in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from
Michigan's 5th congressional district
Michigan's 5th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The district is represented by Republican Tim Walberg.
Predecessors
From 1873 to 1993, the 5th was based in the Grand Rapids a ...
, serving from 1883 to 1885, the first Jewish representative from Michigan. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1884 and resumed his former business pursuits.
He became a member of the
Freemasons in 1854 and was a member of the
Odd Fellows and of the
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peo ...
. He was a charter member of the local Peninsular Club and was a member of the local Owashtanong club. He was influential in forming the
Temple Emanuel in 1857, the fifth oldest reform congregation in the United States, and in founding the first Jewish organization in Grand Rapids, the Jewish Benevolent and Burial Society.
Death and legacy
He died in Grand Rapids and is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery there. He left a large property, estimated to be worth approximately a million dollars. He was survived by his daughter, an only child, Mrs. David M. Amberg and family of Grand Rapids; his sister, Mrs. M. Alsberg of New York city; William Houseman, a half brother; Mrs. Simon Mainzer, a half sister, and his cousin, Mr. Joseph Houseman and family. There were also several half-brothers and half-sisters in Germany.
In 1907, his daughter, Hattie Houseman Amberg, donated six acres (24,000 m²) of land to the Grand Rapids Board of Education for use as an athletic field in memory of her father. In 1924, she gave an additional adjoining tract of land. The
Houseman Field continues be shared by several Grand Rapids area high schools.
See also
*
List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
External links
Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress(portions of this article were derived from this public domain resource)
(portions of this article were derived from this public domain resource)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houseman, Julius
1832 births
1891 deaths
Burials in Michigan
Mayors of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives
Bavarian emigrants to the United States
Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
Jewish mayors of places in the United States
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan
19th-century American politicians
Jewish American state legislators in Michigan