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Charles Henry Wacker (August 29, 1856 – October 31, 1929), born in
Wacker was a director of the 1893 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago.
He died at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on October 31, 1929, and was buried at
Encyclopedia of Chicago Online Chicago Plan ImplementationWacker Family Papers
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the Newberry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wacker, Charles 1856 births 1929 deaths Philanthropists from Illinois American urban planners Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Lake Forest Academy alumni American people of German descent Businesspeople from Chicago People from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin American brewers
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, was a German American businessman and philanthropist. He was Vice Chairman of the General Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago
The Commercial Club of Chicago is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 1877 with a mission to promote the social and economic vitality of the metropolitan area of Chicago.
History
The Commercial Club was founded in 1877 ...
, and in 1909 was appointed Chairman of the Chicago Plan Commission
The Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the ''Plan of Chicago,'' often called the Burnham Plan. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago authorized Mayor
In many ...
by Mayor Fred A. Busse. As Commission chairman from 1909 to 1926, he championed the Burnham Plan
The Burnham Plan is a popular name for the 1909 ''Plan of Chicago'', co-authored by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett and published in 1909. It recommended an integrated series of projects including new and widened streets, parks, new rail ...
for improving Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. His work to promote the plan included addresses, obtaining wide publicity from newspapers, and publishing ''Wacker's Manual of the Plan of Chicago'' (by Walter D. Moody) as a textbook for local schoolchildren.
Life
Charles H. Wacker was born in Chicago on August 29, 1856. His father Frederick Wacker, a brewer, was born inWürttemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...
, 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 ...
. Charles Wacker was educated at Lake Forest Academy
Lake Forest Academy (also known as LFA) is a co-educational college preparatory school for boarding and day students in grades 9 through 12. The school is located on the North Shore in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States, about 30 miles north o ...
(class of 1872) and thereafter at the University of Stuttgart and the University of Geneva
The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...
. He worked in a commission house until 1880, when he started work in his father's malting firm. After his father died in 1884, Wacker became president of the Wacker and Birk Brewing and Malting Company. He was later president of the McAvoy Brewing Company, and director of the Chicago Heights Land Association, Corn Exchange National Bank, Chicago Title and Trust Company, and South Elevator Company, and was part of a consortium of Chicago brewers who underwrote the methods that facilitated the commercialization of refrigeration
The term refrigeration refers to the process of removing heat from an enclosed space or substance for the purpose of lowering the temperature.International Dictionary of Refrigeration, http://dictionary.iifiir.org/search.phpASHRAE Terminology, ht ...
machines.
Wacker was a director of the 1893 Columbian Exposition held in Chicago.
He died at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin on October 31, 1929, and was buried at Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...
in Chicago.
Wacker Drive
Wacker Drive is a major multilevel street in Chicago, Illinois, running along the south side of the main branch and the east side of the south branch of the Chicago River in the Loop.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, ''Streetwise Chicago'', "Wacker D ...
, built as part of the Burnham Plan, and Charles H. Wacker Elementary School are named in his honor.
References
* *Sources
External links
Encyclopedia of Chicago Online Chicago Plan Implementation
a
the Newberry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wacker, Charles 1856 births 1929 deaths Philanthropists from Illinois American urban planners Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Lake Forest Academy alumni American people of German descent Businesspeople from Chicago People from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin American brewers