Reinhard Liebel (January 31, 1841 – March 11, 1905) was a businessman and politician from

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

. Reinhard was a member of the Liebel family, which was one of the oldest and most prominent families in

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

Early life

Reinhard was born January 31, 1841, in

Leimersheim Leimersheim is a municipality in the district of Germersheim, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. History In the early 18th century, there were two Jewish families living in Leimersheim, and by the early 19th century, there were ten families. By 1 ...

, Germany to Johannes Liebel and Eva Hammer Liebel. Liebel was one of six children, all of whom were born in

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 ...

. Along with their parents, they

immigrate Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

d to the

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in 1857 aboard the '' SV Argo'' from

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

(the second largest port in

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) to

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. The children were: Jacob Liebel (1834-1880), George Philip Liebel (1836-1893), Francis Peter Liebel (1838-1895), a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

in Erie who received his commission April 25, 1871. In 1887, Francis, at one time one of the wealthiest citizens of Erie, was arrested after his store was seized by police. According to news reports at the time, Liebel and a posse attacked the store that police had taken possession of with an axe and drove the deputies from the premises, Reinhard Liebel (1841-1905), Michael Liebel (1843-1906), and Maria Frances Liebel (1845-1850). Through his brother, Michael, and his sister-in-law, Clara Maria Uhr (who was also a sister to Reinhard's wife), he was uncle to Michael Liebel, Jr. (1870-1927), the

Mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania This is a list of the people who have served as mayor of the city of Erie, Erie County, in northwestern Pennsylvania. Erie's city government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor's office includes an elected city treasurer A tre ...

, from 1906-1911, and a Democratic member of 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, from 1915-1917.

Career

South Erie Iron Works

Liebel was the President of the ''South Erie Iron Works'' during the boom years of Iron in

. ''South Erie Iron Works'' was established by Adam Acheson and William Henry on

Peach Street The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...

in 1858 and was incorporated in 1868. It produced stoves and general iron works and was headquartered at 1917

(built from 1871-1891) in

with the

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

at 26th and Maple Streets (built from 1885-1887). In 1896, Liebel was President, John G. Liebel (Reinhard's son) was Corporate Secretary, and A. K. Acheson was

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

. The principal stockholders were Reinhard, John G. Liebel, Adam K. Acheson, D. S. Clark, Tobias S. Alberstadt, John Henry Kalvelage (former owner of the ''Eagle Brewery''), D. T. Jones, Mrs. William Henry, Ph. Deifenbach, and James Leask. In 1898, Liebel's son, John G. Liebel along with John Depinet, purchased the ''Chicago and Erie Stove Works'' in

, founded by William Himrod. The purchase included all

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

s, designs, and patterns. Up to that point, John had been connected with Reinhard's ''South Erie Iron Works''. Liebel and Depinet continued to operate the company under the old name, but utilized the business and methods from ''South Erie Iron Works''.

Liebel House hotel

The Liebel's also ran the Liebel House, a hotel, which opened January 1, 1887, at 1101-1114 State Street in

, on the site of the old ''Keefer House'' (also known as the ''United States Hotel''). The hotel was the largest in Erie next to the Reed House, and it was originally called the ''Arlington''. It was renamed to the ''Liebel House'' to honor the builders after several years. The

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

was in operation until October 1901 when a large

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

in the

brass foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

of the ''Hayes Manufacturing Company'' on West 11th Street exploded and completely demolished the Hayes building and an adjoining building that directly backed up, and connected with, the ''Liebel House'' by a covered passageway across the

alley An alley or alleyway is a narrow lane, path, or passageway, often reserved for pedestrians, which usually runs between, behind, or within buildings in the older parts of towns and cities. It is also a rear access or service road (back lane ...

. At the time of the

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known ...

, dinner was being served, and six women who were in the

kitchen A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation in a dwelling or in a commercial establishment. A modern middle-class residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a ...

of the ''Liebel House'' perished in the wreck. The drift of the explosion passed through the hotel bar with that part of the hotel completely wrecked. The hotel itself was seriously damaged with all the

plate glass Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is s ...

windows wrecked and was eventually demolished. Damage to the ''Hayes Manufacturing Company'' building and the hotel amounted to about $50,000 ().

Elected office

Reinhard was a staunch

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

and served the City of

in several official positions: *Member of the Board of Fire Commissioners from 1887-1892 * Common Council under

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

David T. Jones in 1880 * Common Council under

Joseph McCarter in 1881 * Select Council under

Joseph McCarter in 1882 * Common Council under

Philip Becker in 1883 Liebel's brother, Michael Liebel (1843-1906), also served on the Common Council from 1871-1875, of which he was President from 1873-1874 (under

Charles M. Reed and

Henry Rawle). In 1876, he served as President of the Select Council under Mayor John W. Hammond. From 1877-1881, Michael was on the Board of Commissioners of

Erie Water Works The Erie Water Works was incorporated in 1865 as the Erie Water and Gas Company to provide drinking water and fire hydrant water for the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. The Water Works, also known as the Erie City Water Authority, replaced the Erie W ...

. From 1904-1906, Michael was on the Board of Railroad Crossing Commissioners.

Personal life and death

Liebel married Mary Uhr (1844-1903), who was born in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to Johann Uhr and Margaretha ''Paul'' Uhr. Together, they had seven sons and five daughters: Liebel died March 11, 1905, one of

's best known citizens, at the family residence, 2316

. Liebel had been sick for over a year. His wife, Mary Liebel died a little more than year before him in 1903. Liebel's funeral took place at St. Joseph's Church.

Clubs and organizations

Liebel was described as "an enterprising and progressive citizen and did much for the southern and southwestern end of the city." Additionally, it was said that "he was a man who made friends quickly and always retained them." He was a charter member of '' Catholic Mutual Benevolent Association'' ("C.M.B.A.") Branch No. 9 and also a member of the ''P. H. C.'' and the '' Erie Maennerchor'', a German singing society and social club founded in 1871. In the final years of his life, Liebel engaged in the real estate and

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebel, Reinhard 1841 births 1905 deaths Politicians from Erie, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Democrats Liebel family