George Schneider (banker)
Encyclopedia
George Schneider was an Illinois
journalist
and banker. He was a German refugee, one of the Forty-Eighters
.
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
n government's Prussia
n allies, he withdrew to Baden, then fled to France
, and finally emigrated to the United States
, arriving in New York City
in July 1849.
, which was devoted to the free discussion of questions of interest to the large German population of that city, including the question of slavery
, to which a large majority of them were strongly opposed. During the following year the office of this paper was destroyed by fire.
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
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 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
, was due to a larger extent to the influence and teaching of the Staats-Zeitung.
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 22 February 1856, which resulted in crystalizing 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 for Governor, which was elected in November following.
It was chiefly through Schneider's influence, backed by the approval of Abraham Lincoln
, 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. 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 on 17 June, in both of which Schneider was a delegate.
He was a delegate to the Republican
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 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 ticket in 1880.
.
He died while seeking recuperation of his health at Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Chicago, a large number of his countrymen taking part in the honors paid to his memory.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and banker. He was a German refugee, one of the Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
.
Early years
The son of Ludwig Schneider, a public official, he was educated in the Latin schoolLatin School
Latin School may refer to:* Latin schools of Medieval Europe* These schools in the United States:** Boston Latin School, Boston, MA** Brooklyn Latin School, New York, NY** Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School, Long Island, NY...
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
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
, he took an active part. When the revolution in the Rhine Province was crushed by the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n government's Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
n allies, he withdrew to Baden, then fled to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and finally emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, arriving 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...
in July 1849.
Neue Zeit
With his brother, also an exile, he established the Neue Zeit in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, 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
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, 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 28 August 1851, entered upon his duties as editor of the Illinois Staats-ZeitungIllinois Staats-Zeitung
Illinois Staats-Zeitung was a German-language newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. The newspaper was founded in April 1848 as a weekly, and became a daily in 1851. The newspaper had as its main ambition to maintain the use of the German language. Along with the Westliche Post and Anzeiger des...
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
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30'...
as a consequence of the adoption of the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opening new lands for settlement, and had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty if they would allow slavery within...
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 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
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, 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 PartyRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
in Illinois, and in this movement Schneider became an active and influential figure. At the meeting of the Anti-Nebraska editors, held at Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
on 22 February 1856, which resulted in crystalizing 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
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, three months later nominated the ticket headed by William H. Bissell for Governor, which was elected in November following.
It was chiefly through Schneider's influence, backed by the approval of 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...
, 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. 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 on 17 June, in both of which Schneider was a delegate.
He was a delegate to the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
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 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
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. 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
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
nominated him for United States minister to Switzerland
United States Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein
This is a list of United States Ambassadors to Switzerland.Since 1997, the US ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein. The position is generally held by a political appointee, not a career diplomat.-Ambassadors:-See also:...
, but he declined for personal and business reasons. He was a presidential elector on the Garfield 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 CityKansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
.
He died while seeking recuperation of his health at Colorado Springs, Colorado, and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Chicago, a large number of his countrymen taking part in the honors paid to his memory.
External links
- George Schneider Elementary School (short biography)
- PictureHistory (portrait and short biography)