George Schneider (1823–1905) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

and

banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...

who served as editor-in-chief of the ''

Illinois Staats-Zeitung ''Illinois Staats-Zeitung'' (''Illinois State Newspaper'') was one of the most well-known German-language newspapers of the United States; it was published in Chicago from 1848 until 1922. Along with the ''Westliche Post'' and ''Anzeiger des West ...

''. He was appointed by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

as the United States Consul in Elsinore,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, at the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and later served as Collector of Internal Revenue for the 1st District of Illinois. He was a German refugee, one of the

Forty-Eighters The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the Revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In the German Confederation, the Forty-Eighters favoured unification of Germany, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human r ...

Biography

Early years

The son of Ludwig Schneider, a public official, and Josephine Schneider (née Schlick), he was educated in the

Latin school The Latin school was the grammar school of 14th- to 19th-century Europe, though the latter term was much more common in England. Emphasis was placed, as the name indicates, on learning to use Latin. The education given at Latin schools gave gre ...

of his native place. He became a journalist at the age of 21, and worked for several German newspapers. Strongly sympathetic with the revolutionaries of 1848, he took an active part. When the revolution in the Rhine Province was crushed by the

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

n government's

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

n allies, he withdrew to Baden, then fled to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and finally emigrated 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 territorie ...

, arriving in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in July 1849.

''Neue Zeit''

With his brother, also an exile, he established the ''Neue Zeit'' in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, which was devoted to the free discussion of questions of interest to the large German population of that city, including the question of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

, to which a large majority of them were strongly opposed. During the following year the office of this paper was destroyed by fire.

''Illinois Staats-Zeitung''

In the next few months Schneider occupied a position as a professor of foreign languages and literature in a college in the vicinity of St. Louis. During the next year he relinquished this position and, coming to Chicago on August 28, 1851, entered upon his duties as editor of the ''

'' which had been established some four years previous. He remained there over ten years, in 1852 becoming the proprietor of a half interest in the paper. It was during his connection with the ''Staats-Zeitung'' that the contest over the slavery question was precipitated by the repeal of the

Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise was a federal legislation of the United States that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand it. It admitted Missouri as a Slave states an ...

as a consequence of the adoption of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Under Schneider's management the paper took strong ground on this issue. With the exception of the ''Western Citizen'', an avowed anti-slavery weekly journal, the ''Staats-Zeitung'' was the first paper in Chicago to array itself in absolute opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In the latter part of January 1854, while the act was still pending in Congress, Schneider called the first popular meeting held in Chicago to express popular opposition to opening the door for the extension of slavery into territory that had been dedicated to freedom. While the paper and its managers were threatened with mob violence, the preparation made by Schneider and his assistants had the effect of restraining the spirit of

mobocracy Mob rule or ochlocracy ( el, ὀχλοκρατία, translit=okhlokratía; la, ochlocratia) is the rule of government by a mob or mass of people and the intimidation of legitimate authorities. Insofar as it represents a pejorative for majorit ...

and protecting the city from the disgrace of lawless violence. The attitude then taken by a large majority of the German population of the region in opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and their subsequent attitude in loyal support of the Union during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, was due to a larger extent to the influence and teaching of the ''Staats-Zeitung''.

Republican politics

It was during this period that the first steps were taken in the organization of the Republican Party in Illinois, and in this movement Schneider became an active and influential figure. At the meeting of the Anti-Nebraska editors, held at Decatur on February 22, 1856, which resulted in crystallizing the elements which had been in course of evolution during the preceding two years, he was present and, as a member of the Committee on Resolutions, bore a conspicuous part in giving shape to the principles of the new party which, in its first regular State Convention held in Bloomington, three months later nominated the ticket headed by

William H. Bissell William Henry Bissell (April 25, 1811March 18, 1860) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1857 until his death. He was one of the first successful Republican Party candidates in the U.S., winning the election of 1856 just two ...

for Governor, which was elected in November following. It was chiefly through Schneider's influence, backed by the approval of

, that a resolution was adopted at the Decatur conference favoring tolerance of religious faith and freedom of conscience, as opposed to the principles of the

Know Nothing Party The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

. These sentiments were echoed in the platform adopted at Bloomington in May, and still later reiterated by the first Republican National Convention held in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on June 17, in both of which Schneider was a delegate. He was a delegate to the

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 ...

national convention of 1860 as well. He took a prominent part in calling the first public meeting held in Chicago in 1861 to sustain the Government in its opposition to the rebellion, then in its incipient stage. His service was recognized by Lincoln in his appointment as

consul general A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

at Elsinore, Denmark, where he rendered the country valuable service by imparting to the Danish people an accurate knowledge of the real issue between the federal government and the Confederacy. Returning from Denmark a year later, he sold his half interest in the ''Staats-Zeitung'' and accepted an appointment as Collector of Internal Revenue for the Chicago district, which he held for four years. He then became president of the State Savings Institution until 1871, when he became president of the National Bank of Illinois. In 1877, President Hayes nominated him for United States minister to Switzerland, but he declined for personal and business reasons. He was a presidential elector on the

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, his human ...

ticket in 1880.

Philanthropic efforts

He was treasurer of the Chicago South Park Board (1878), director of the Chicago Festival Association (1885) where he played a key role in recruiting talented musicians for Chicago, and director of the Illinois Humane Society (many years).

Bank collapse

In 1896, the Illinois National Bank was overtaken by disaster, largely through the mismanagement of others. In the last days of December 1896 it was forced to go into liquidation. This resulted in heavy pecuniary loss to Schneider, and wiped out of existence an institution which he had spent more than a quarter of a century in building up. Saddened by this event, the later years of his life were spent in practical retirement, much of it with one of his daughters in

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

. Schneider died on September 16, 1905, while seeking recuperation of his health at Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was interred at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is an American garden cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. According to legend, the name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the ar ...

, Chicago, a large number of his countrymen taking part in the honors paid to his memory.

Notes

References

* Attribution: *

External links

George Schneider Elementary School
(short biography)
PictureHistory
(portrait and short biography) {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneider, George 1823 births 1905 deaths People from Pirmasens American bankers German-American Forty-Eighters German emigrants to the United States American male journalists 19th-century American diplomats People from the Palatinate (region) 1880 United States presidential electors 19th-century American businesspeople Illinois Staats-Zeitung people Burials at Rosehill Cemetery