Augustus Kountze

Infobox Person
birth_date=Birth date |1826|11|19
birth_place=Osnaburg, Ohio
death_date=1892
resting_place=Woodlawn Cemetery
nationality=American
known_for=
occupation=Banker, Real estate agent

Augustus Kountze (November 19, 1826–April 30, 1892) was a pioneer banker, politician, philanthropist and railroad supporter in Omaha, Nebraska, Kountze, Texas and New York City. He founded a late-19th century national banking dynasty along with his brothers Charles, Herman and Luther. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9906E5D81438E233A25752C0A9639C94639ED7CF&oref=slogin "August Kountze obituary",] "New York Times." May 1, 1892. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

In 1861 Augustus was named the Treasurer of the Nebraska Territory, and want on to serve as the first Treasurer of the State of Nebraska in 1867. [ [http://www.unl.edu/journalism/cojmc/alumni/jnews/archive/9900_winter/foundation.html "Nebraska roots nurture philanthropy"] , University of Nebraska. Retrieved 1/28/08.] In 1862 he was appointed as one of the first directors of the Union Pacific Railroad by President Abraham Lincoln. [ [http://reinert.creighton.edu/archives/archivesdocs/images/Creightons.pdf "The Creightons: Builders of the West"] , Creighton University. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

Biography

Born in 1826 in rural Ohio, Kountze was one of the seven children of Christian and Margaret Kountze. Christian immigrated to the U.S. from Saxony, a German province. After marrying Margaret Zerbe of Pennsylvania, the couple relocated in Osnaburg, Ohio, located in Stark County. There he opened a grocery and trained his sons in business. After leaving home in 1854 Kountze moved to Muscatine, Iowa, and then westward to Omaha in 1855, where he took up real estate.

In Omaha Kountze developed a massive banking, real estate and railroad portfolio. His obscure holdings included the Omaha Horse Railway Company; he was the Treasurer of the Nebraska Territory and the state of Nebraska from 1861 through 1869. [ [http://seward.wathenadesigns.com/sc_chapter15.html "List of State Officers, U.S. Senators, Representatives in Congress, and U.S. Marshalls from the Organization of the Territory up to the Present Time,"] "History of Seward County. Retrieved 1/28/08.] In 1858 Augustus wrote to his Lutheran pastor in Canton, Ohio and requested that Nebraska be named a mission field of the church. Because of that action the first Lutheran worship service in Nebraska was held on December 5, 1858. [ [http://www.kmlchurch.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=94 "History,"] Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

Banking and real estate

Kountze lived in Omaha until 1872. In the intervening years he, along with his brother Herman, accumulated a great number of land holdings along the Missouri River, including Brownville, Nebraska City, Tekamah and Dakota City, Nebraska, as well as Sioux City, Iowa. Eventually Kountze held a great deal of real estate across the Midwest and Western United States. He had large holdings in Iowa and Minnesota, and later on invested heavily in central and western Nebraska. Eventually they held land in Chicago, Denver, and across East Texas. [ [http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/Omaha_book/omaha012.htm "The Kountze Brothers"] , "Omaha Illustrated." Retrieved 1/28/08.] Kountze was responsible for the 1868 sale of land in North Omaha which became Fort Omaha. [ [http://www.omahahistory.org/fort_omaha.htm "History of Fort Omaha"] , Douglas County Historical Society. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

In 1856 Augustus and Herman established Kountze Brothers Bank, later changing the name to First National Bank of Omaha. Fellow Omaha pioneer Edward Creighton became president of the bank, a position he held until his death in 1874. Kountze was responsible for the construction of the First National Bank Building in Omaha. In 1866 Augustus's brother Charles founded the Colorado National Bank, which Augustus was named senior member of; likewise in 1868 brother Luther opened the Kountze Brothers Bank in New York City, and also named Augustus a senior member.

Railroads

Augustus was deeply invested in railroads across the western United States. He was the president of the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railroad, and when it was consolidated with the Fitchburg Railroad he became a director in that company, position he held until death. Along with Herman Augustus was the main backer of the Omaha and Northwestern Railroad, and also held interest in the Denver and South Park Railroad and the Sabine and East Texas Railway. [ [http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/Omaha_book/omaha012.htm "The Kountze Brothers"] , "Omaha Illustrated." Retrieved 1/28/08.] The town of Kountze, Texas was named in honor of the Kountze brothers' investment in that railroad. [ [http://www.bigthicketdirectory.com/kountze/kountze_history.html "Kountze history,"] Retrieved 1/28/08.] Kountze was a Government Director for the Union Pacific, and is recorded as being influential in the placement of the Union Pacific Headquarters in Omaha, along with the Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center and the Union Pacific Shops. [ [http://www.historicomaha.com/ofcchap4.htm "Colorado gold brought on new boom; railroad head causes deep rivalry,"] "Omaha World-Herald." Retrieved 1/28/08.]

Periodically Augustus' interests would meld. For instance, in 1880 he announced his desire to complete the Sabine and East Texas Railroad from Beaumont, Texas through the Sabine Pass to Rockland, Texas. This enabled Kountze to market the 250,000 acres of virgin timber lands on land he owned in nearby counties. [Block, W.T. [http://www.texasescapes.com/WTBlock/Olive-Hardin-County-Texas.htm Olive, Hardin County, Texas: An Extinct Sawmill Town and the Olive-Sternenberg Partnership That Built It"] , TexasEscapes.com. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

In 1872 Kountze moved to New York City permanently to assist with the expanding operations of the brothers' banking operations there. [ [http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/Omaha_book/omaha012.htm "The Kountze Brothers"] , "Omaha Illustrated." Retrieved 1/28/08.] Kountze was a director of the New York Security and Trust Company as well. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9906E5D81438E233A25752C0A9639C94639ED7CF&oref=slogin "August Kountze obituary",] "New York Times." May 1, 1892. Retrieved 1/28/08.] A wedding of a niece at his home in New York City was regarded as a major social event in 1892. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B07E1D81E31E033A2575BC0A9629C94639ED7CF "Yesterday's weddings,"] "New York Times." April 8, 1892. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

Philanthropy

In 1885, long after he'd moved to New York City, Augustus funded for the construction of the Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church in Omaha in the 1880s, which was named in honor of his father. Today the church is located at 26th & Farnam Streets in Downtown Omaha. [ [http://omaha.lib.ne.us/earlyomaha/buildings/kountze_memorial.html "Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church,"] Omaha Public Library. Retrieved 1/28/08.] He also funded a church in Ohio in honor of his parents, as well as much of St. James Lutheran Church in New York City. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9D06E1D71438E233A25756C0A9639C94639ED7CF&oref=slogin "Augustus Kountze's Funeral"] , "New York Times." May 5, 1892. Retrieved 1/31/08.]

Death

After Kountze died in 1892 he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9906E5D81438E233A25752C0A9639C94639ED7CF&oref=slogin "August Kountze obituary",] "New York Times." May 1, 1892. Retrieved 1/28/08.]

ee also

* History of Omaha
* Founding figures of Omaha, Nebraska

References

External links

* [http://www.rootsweb.com/~neresour/OLLibrary/Omaha_book/pics/omaha034a.jpgHistoric image] of Kountze
* [http://www.memories.ne.gov/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/opl&CISOPTR=19&CISOBOX=1&REC=5 Historic postcard] of Kountze's First National Bank
* [http://www.memories.ne.gov/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/opl&CISOPTR=38&CISOBOX=1&REC=8 Historic postcard] of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church
* [http://www.memories.ne.gov/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/opl&CISOPTR=171&CISOBOX=1&REC=9 Historic postcard] of Kountze Park