Augustus Kountze
Encyclopedia
Augustus Kountze 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
.
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. In 1862 he was appointed as one of the first directors of the Union Pacific Railroad
by President Abraham Lincoln
.
, 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. 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.
, 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
. Kountze was responsible for the 1868 sale of land in North Omaha which became Fort Omaha
.
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.
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. The town of Kountze, Texas
, was named in honor of the Kountze brothers' investment in that railroad. 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.
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 250000 acres (1,011.7 km²) of virgin timber lands on land he owned in nearby counties.
In 1872 Kountze moved to New York City permanently to assist with the expanding operations of the brothers' banking operations there. Kountze was a director of the New York Security and Trust Company as well. A wedding of a niece at his home in New York City
was regarded as a major social event in 1892.
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
. 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.
in the Bronx.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Kountze, Texas
Kountze, Texas
Kountze is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,115 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hardin County. The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area....
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He founded a late-19th century national banking dynasty along with his brothers Charles, Herman
Herman Kountze
Herman Kountze was a powerful and influential pioneer banker in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 19th century. After organizing the Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857 as the second bank in Omaha, Herman and his brothers Augustus, Charles and Luther changed the charter in 1863, opening the First National...
and Luther
Luther Kountze
Luther Kountze was an American banker, responsible for helping the city of Denver, Colorado in a time of need and leaving a philanthropic legacy in Morristown, New Jersey...
.
In 1861 Augustus was named the Treasurer of the Nebraska Territory
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
, and want on to serve as the first Treasurer of the State of Nebraska in 1867. In 1862 he was appointed as one of the first directors of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Biography
Born in 1826 in rural OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Kountze was one of the seven children of Christian and Margaret Kountze. Christian immigrated to the U.S. from Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, a German province. After marrying Margaret Zerbe of Pennsylvania, the couple relocated in Osnaburg, Ohio, located in Stark County
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
. There he opened a grocery and trained his sons in business. After leaving home in 1854 Kountze moved to Muscatine, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, 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
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
and the state of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
from 1861 through 1869. In 1858 Augustus wrote to his Lutheran pastor in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, 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.
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 RiverMissouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, including Brownville
Brownville, Nebraska
Brownville is a village in Nemaha County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 146 at the 2000 census.- History :Established in 1854 and incorporated in 1856, Brownville was the largest town in the Nebraska Territory, with a population of 1,309 by 1880. Bordering slave-holding Missouri, the...
, Nebraska City, Tekamah
Tekamah, Nebraska
Tekamah is a city in Burt County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,736 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Burt County.-History:...
and Dakota City, Nebraska
Dakota City, Nebraska
Dakota City is a city in Dakota County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Sioux City, IA–NE–SD Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,821 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Dakota County...
, as well as Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
. Eventually Kountze held a great deal of real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
across the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. He had large holdings in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, and later on invested heavily in central and western Nebraska. Eventually they held land in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Denver, and across East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
. Kountze was responsible for the 1868 sale of land in North Omaha which became Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...
.
In 1856 Augustus and Herman established Kountze Brothers Bank, later changing the name to First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank of Omaha
First National Bank Omaha is a subsidiary of First National of Nebraska. It is recognized as the largest privately held bank in the country with $17 billion in managed assets and 5,000 employees...
. Fellow Omaha pioneer Edward Creighton
Edward Creighton
Edward Creighton was a prominent pioneer businessman in early Omaha, Nebraska. The brother of John A. Creighton, the Creightons were responsible for founding many institutions that were central to the growth and development of Omaha...
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
First National Bank Building (Omaha, Nebraska)
The First National Bank Building is a U-shaped, fourteen-story, historic steel structure building located on the corner of 16th and Farnam street in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The building was constructed in 1917. It was the original building for the First National Bank as well as the first...
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
Luther Kountze
Luther Kountze was an American banker, responsible for helping the city of Denver, Colorado in a time of need and leaving a philanthropic legacy in Morristown, New Jersey...
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 RailroadFitchburg Railroad
The Fitchburg Railroad is a former railroad company, which built a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, USA, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. The Fitchburg was leased to the Boston and Maine Railroad in 1900...
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. The town of Kountze, Texas
Kountze, Texas
Kountze is a city in Hardin County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,115 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hardin County. The city is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, was named in honor of the Kountze brothers' investment in that railroad. 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
Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center
The Union Pacific Harriman Dispatch Center is located at 850 Jones Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Called "the Bunker" by some, the Harriman is Union Pacific's rail traffic control headquarters, where the movement of more than 850 trains and nearly 36,000 miles of track across the country is...
and the Union Pacific Shops.
Periodically Augustus' interests would meld. For instance, in 1880 he announced his desire to complete the Sabine and East Texas Railroad from Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, through the Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and Second Battles of Sabine Pass....
to Rockland, Texas. This enabled Kountze to market the 250000 acres (1,011.7 km²) of virgin timber lands on land he owned in nearby counties.
In 1872 Kountze moved to New York City permanently to assist with the expanding operations of the brothers' banking operations there. Kountze was a director of the New York Security and Trust Company as well. A wedding of a niece at his home in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
was regarded as a major social event in 1892.
Philanthropy
In 1885, long after he'd moved to New York City, Augustus funded for the construction of the Kountze Memorial Lutheran ChurchKountze Memorial Lutheran Church
Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church is located at 2650 Farnam Street in Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Organized on December 5, 1858 as Immanuel's Evangelical Lutheran Church, the church is thought to be the first Lutheran congregation organized west of the Missouri River...
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
Downtown Omaha
Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha-Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and is located in Omaha, Nebraska. The boundaries are 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east and the centerline of Leavenworth Street on the south to the centerline...
. 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.
Death
After Kountze died in 1892 he was buried in the Woodlawn CemeteryWoodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
in the Bronx.
External links
- Historic image of Kountze
- Historic postcard of Kountze's First National Bank
- Historic postcard of Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church
- Historic postcard of Kountze Park
