Germans in Omaha, Nebraska
Encyclopedia
Germans in Omaha immigrated to the city in Nebraska
from its earliest days of founding in 1854, in the years after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
. They continued to immigrate to Omaha in large numbers later in the 19th century, when many came from Bavaria and southern Germany. Germans created and maintained a high cultural, social and political profile locally and nationally through the 1930s. In 1890, Germans
comprised 23% of Omaha's population. By 1910, 57.4% of Omaha's total population of more than 124,000 were of German descent.
By 1930 immigration from Germany had virtually ceased. Although Germans comprised the second most numerous group of foreign-born nationals after Czechs, those foreign-born immigrants totaled less than one percent of the total population of the city.
German immigrants and German Americans in Omaha had a high rate of literacy. The mostly working class population supported numerous German-language newspapers that had national as well as local distribution in the early 20th century. Germans built and operated several successful breweries in the city, bringing good beer and beer-making skills to the upper Midwest. The German model of public education was established in states throughout the Midwest, which were quickly training teachers in normal schools to expand education in new villages.
Valentin J. Peter
, editor of the German-language
Omaha Tribune, was chiefly responsible for the formation and leadership of the National German-American Alliance
. This coalition was influential in representing and leading the German-American electorate across the United States between 1912 and 1940. During the early years of World War I, Peter was supportive of Germany and urged German-Americans to be so, too. He changed his position before the US entered the war on the side of Great Britain and France, and supported the Allies.
toured the Missouri River
in 1832, and recorded a stay at Cabanne's Trading Post
in present-day North Omaha. After arriving in Omaha en masse beginning in the 1860s, Germans in Omaha built their own churches. At church and in their businesses, including grocery stores and farm supply shops, they conducted daily life in German for years. Many young German immigrants from Omaha served in the Nebraska battalion during the Civil War
, as well as later serving throughout the country.
One early German settler in Omaha was Vincent Burkley. (He anglicize
d his name). After working as a grocer and farm laborer for three years starting in 1854, he opened his own printing
company. He was almost immediately successful. Burkley was a member of the Omaha City Council
for several years, as well as the Omaha Board of Education.
. Here one could purchase food from several German merchants, including Volkmier's Meat Market, Schmid's Grocery, and the Schube Haus (bakery)... The Emmel House (hotel) and Hottenroth and Bauer Boarding House were also located in this core". The area south of the railroad corridor and west of South 16th Street contained an area of German Catholics. This settlement was centered on South 16th Street and Center Street and includes St. Joseph's Church, which was established in 1887 to serve German-speaking Catholics. Protestant Germans settled in a concentration centered on South 11th Street and Center Street and built a German Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886.
By 1900 Germans lived in more dispersed neighborhoods, including the Near North Side
neighborhood, Florence
and South Omaha. Within 25 years they lived throughout the city, with large enclaves in the Dundee
and Field Club neighborhoods. Another "concentration was... near South 19th and Vinton Streets
... The Bongardt Meat Market, Schmidt Saloon and Muller’s Hall were located in the 1700 block of Vinton. Wilg Dry Goods was at 1810 Vinton, Strausburgh Druggist at 1822 Vinton, and the Schouboe Bakery at 3130 S. 18th St."
parish established in 1901 to serve Omaha's German-speaking Catholics.
The German community in Omaha was literate and large enough to support several German-language newspapers, which also had national distribution. They included the Omaha Tribune, the Volkszeitung Tribune, and the Sonntagspost, which was later called the AmericaHerold.
Edward Rosewater
, the Czech editor at The Omaha Bee, used the slogan "Germania our Mother, Columbia our Bride" to describe the kind of "dual-sentimentality" many Germans in America felt towards their country of origin. In later years Germans came to Omaha for work and to escape state oppression led by Kaiser Wilhelm
in Germany.
The German community in Omaha was noted for integrating
quickly throughout the city. Period sociological
research also identified a range of reluctance among German immigrants, as well as second- and third-generation Germans towards assimilation
. During the early 20th century Germans in Omaha were successful in ensuring that German culture
, German history
and German language
lessons were included in the local public school system.
Germans in Omaha were employed in many of the city's manufacturing industries, particularly its brewing
sector, which was created by German immigrants. Leading German employers in the city included the Metz Brewery
, Krug Brewery
and the Storz Brewery. Gottlieb Storz
, Frederick Krug
and Frederick Metz
built the success of their breweries by hiring German brewmeisters and laborers for their skills.
Many Germans in the Omaha area also worked at the Union Stockyards
, and in farming in Douglas County
. In 1910 the Union Stockyards reported to the United States Immigration Commission that 14.1% of its workers were German immigrants. Numerous Germans worked at German beer garden
s, dry goods
stores, farms
and milling
operations throughout the city and Douglas County. The German work ethic was highly regarded throughout the city. Immigrant workers from Germany were readily employed in Jobbers Canyon and by the railroads in Omaha.
in 1908, as Shallenberger ran on an anti-Prohibition
slate. After he was elected, however, Shallenberger became pro-Prohibition. Temperance was strongly supported in most of Nebraska for 30 years before the national Prohibition movement. A statewide election seeking a prohibition of alcohol in 1890 won in almost every county across the state, except Omaha's Douglas County
. The German vote there was credited for keeping the state "wet" during that period. When William Jennings Bryan
returned to Nebraska after his third unsuccessful Presidential campaign in 1908
to advocate for Prohibition, he became "the arch enemy of das Deutschtum."
. At least 54 social, farming and cultural organizations from around Omaha were represented at the first meeting. This alliance brought together many German organizations around Omaha in July 1911 at the city's annual Sängerfest, which was a dance and rally for more than 5,000 attendees. By masking political objectives within a German cultural event, National German-American Alliance leaders were able to openly politicize the event without scrutiny from the mainstream press.
Bavarian-born Valentin J. Peter
was the publisher of a German-language newspaper called the Omaha Tribüne. In 1914 Peter led the National German-American Alliance in strong opposition to women's suffrage
during a statewide election on the issue. The Omaha Tribune editor denounced the effort as "chiefly... to introduce state prohibition with the help of these women's voices."
In the years leading up the US entry into World War I, tensions in Europe were reflected in the US. During a 1915 address to the National German-American Alliance, Valentin Peter said,
Such expression of pro-German feelings by German immigrants aroused anti-German sentiment in the many Americans who favored the British as allies. Nonetheless, in 1916, the Vice-President of the National German-American Alliance openly chastised President Woodrow Wilson
for pro-Ally
actions at the beginning of the War. Peter's son, Valentin J. Peter, Jr., SJ, served as the executive director of Boystown (Father Flanagans Home for Boys) for several years. http://www.boystown.org/AboutUs/history/Pages/PastDirectors.aspx
, some Americans were concerned about divided loyalties of German immigrants and their descendants. A nativist movement affected Omaha. The Federal government enforced the Alien and Sedition Acts
against Germans nationals. Germans who were not American citizen
s were required to register with the Federal government as "Alien Enemies". Although Valentin Peter had earlier been a supporter of Germany against Great Britain, by the outbreak of the war, the editor of the Omaha Tribünehad become an ardent supporter of United States' involvement in World War I on the side of Great Britain.
Anti-German feelings ran high in Nebraska because of the war. A historian noted, "German books were destroyed. The legislature prohibited the use of foreign languages on the public streets or on the telephone and prohibited schools from using or even teaching foreign languages below the eighth grade. Wartime patriots initiated both official and vigilante action against German immigrants."
When the United States
entered the war, most general businesses and churches ceased conducting affairs in German due to nativist sentiment. They did not want to appear less than loyal to the US. This sentiment seeped into the general Nebraska population.
failed, the U.S. Supreme Court
in Meyer v. Nebraska
determined that Meyer had the right to teach the German language as a subject, and to teach it in German.
By 1919 open discrimination against Germans throughout Omaha was taking hold. Many German-language newspapers were forced to change to English, or to close.
in November, Peter came under scrutiny by the United States Senate
, and was called to testify on his involvement in the campaign. According to Peter's testimony, he flipped to supporting Calvin Coolidge
in exchange for $12,500. Later, during the 1928 presidential election
, the Democratic National Committee
enlisted Peter to join to show the support of German-Americans for Al Smith
. There were deep divides among Germans in America in politics and many cultural issues.
, many of the distinctive institutions of German society in Omaha, such as stores, German-language churches, and social groups, had disappeared or become less exclusive of other groups.
The experience of German immigrants in Omaha and throughout Nebraska is said to have deeply influenced Willa Cather
. She addressed the assimilation, discrimination and community of Germans in several of her stories.
The inventor of the Reuben sandwich
was a German American who lived in Omaha. Omaha Tribune editor Val Peter's company, the Interstate Printing Company, is still operated today by the Peter family in Omaha. The Volkszeitung Tribune was a German-language newspaper that was published in Omaha from the late 19th century through the 1980s. A German Old People's Home was located in Omaha for almost 100 years. A home for elderly people of German heritage, it was operated as a charitable, non-profit corporation by twenty-seven trustees, all descendants of German immigrants.
The German-American Society, located at 3717 South 120th Street in West Omaha, continues to hold regular events, teach German traditions and observe special celebrations. Its location in a more suburban area represents the long-established assimilation of German Americans.
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 its earliest days of founding in 1854, in the years after the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
Revolutions of 1848 in the German states
The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...
. They continued to immigrate to Omaha in large numbers later in the 19th century, when many came from Bavaria and southern Germany. Germans created and maintained a high cultural, social and political profile locally and nationally through the 1930s. In 1890, Germans
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
comprised 23% of Omaha's population. By 1910, 57.4% of Omaha's total population of more than 124,000 were of German descent.
By 1930 immigration from Germany had virtually ceased. Although Germans comprised the second most numerous group of foreign-born nationals after Czechs, those foreign-born immigrants totaled less than one percent of the total population of the city.
German immigrants and German Americans in Omaha had a high rate of literacy. The mostly working class population supported numerous German-language newspapers that had national as well as local distribution in the early 20th century. Germans built and operated several successful breweries in the city, bringing good beer and beer-making skills to the upper Midwest. The German model of public education was established in states throughout the Midwest, which were quickly training teachers in normal schools to expand education in new villages.
Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter was a Bavarian-born publisher of a German language newspaper called the Omaha Tribüne and the president of the Nebraska chapter of the National German-American Alliance.-About:...
, editor of the German-language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
Omaha Tribune, was chiefly responsible for the formation and leadership of the National German-American Alliance
National German-American Alliance
The National German-American Alliance, also called the NGAA or Deutschamerikanische Nationalbund, was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 6, 1901 by Charles J. Hexamer, who also served as its president until 1917. Operating as a federation of ethnic German associations, by 1914 the...
. This coalition was influential in representing and leading the German-American electorate across the United States between 1912 and 1940. During the early years of World War I, Peter was supportive of Germany and urged German-Americans to be so, too. He changed his position before the US entered the war on the side of Great Britain and France, and supported the Allies.
History
The first German in the Omaha area arrived more than 20 years before the city was founded. Prince Maximilian of Wied-NeuwiedPrince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied
Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist....
toured the Missouri River
Missouri 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...
in 1832, and recorded a stay at Cabanne's Trading Post
Cabanne's Trading Post
Cabanne's Trading Post was established in 1822 by the American Fur Company as Fort Robidoux near present-day Dodge Park in North Omaha, Nebraska. It was named for influential fur trapper Joseph Robidoux...
in present-day North Omaha. After arriving in Omaha en masse beginning in the 1860s, Germans in Omaha built their own churches. At church and in their businesses, including grocery stores and farm supply shops, they conducted daily life in German for years. Many young German immigrants from Omaha served in the Nebraska battalion 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...
, as well as later serving throughout the country.
One early German settler in Omaha was Vincent Burkley. (He anglicize
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
d his name). After working as a grocer and farm laborer for three years starting in 1854, he opened his own printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
company. He was almost immediately successful. Burkley was a member of the Omaha City Council
Omaha City Council
The City Council of Omaha, Nebraska is elected every four years on a nonpartisan basis. The next election will occur in 2009. Omaha has a strong mayor form of government. Members are elected by district...
for several years, as well as the Omaha Board of Education.
Communities
In the earliest days of Omaha, the "heart of the German settlement was in the large concentration between South 10th and 13th StreetsLittle Bohemia (Omaha, Nebraska)
Little Bohemia, or Bohemian Town, is a historic neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska. Starting in the 1880s, Czech immigrants settled in this highly concentrated area, also called "Praha" or "Bohemian Town", bounded by South 10th Street on the east, South 16th Street on the west, Pierce Street on the...
. Here one could purchase food from several German merchants, including Volkmier's Meat Market, Schmid's Grocery, and the Schube Haus (bakery)... The Emmel House (hotel) and Hottenroth and Bauer Boarding House were also located in this core". The area south of the railroad corridor and west of South 16th Street contained an area of German Catholics. This settlement was centered on South 16th Street and Center Street and includes St. Joseph's Church, which was established in 1887 to serve German-speaking Catholics. Protestant Germans settled in a concentration centered on South 11th Street and Center Street and built a German Methodist Episcopal Church in 1886.
Near North Side (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Near North Side of Omaha, Nebraska is the neighborhood immediately north of downtown. It forms the nucleus of the city's African-American community, and its name is often synonymous with the entire North Omaha area...
neighborhood, Florence
Florence, Nebraska
Florence is a neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska on the city's north end and originally one of the oldest cities in Nebraska. It was incorporated by the Nebraska Territorial Legislature on March 10, 1857. The site of Winter Quarters for Mormon migrants traveling west, it has the oldest cemetery for...
and South Omaha. Within 25 years they lived throughout the city, with large enclaves in the Dundee
Dundee, Nebraska
The Dundee-Happy Hollow Historic District is located west of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. It covers the area between Leavenworth Street on the south, Hamilton Street on the north, Happy Hollow Boulevard on the west, and 46th Street on the east. The "heart" of Dundee is located at 50th and Underwood...
and Field Club neighborhoods. Another "concentration was... near South 19th and Vinton Streets
Vinton Street Commercial Historic District
The Vinton Street Commercial Historic District is located along Vinton Street between Elm Street on the west and South 17th Street on the east in south Omaha, Nebraska. This district is located within Sheelytown, a residential neighborhood that had historically significant populations of Irish,...
... The Bongardt Meat Market, Schmidt Saloon and Muller’s Hall were located in the 1700 block of Vinton. Wilg Dry Goods was at 1810 Vinton, Strausburgh Druggist at 1822 Vinton, and the Schouboe Bakery at 3130 S. 18th St."
Culture
Germans built several Deutschekirchen - German churches - throughout Omaha. St. Joseph's was a Roman CatholicRoman Catholicism in the United States
The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Christian Church in full communion with the Pope. With more than 68.5 registered million members, it is the largest single religious denomination in the United States, comprising about 22 percent of the population...
parish established in 1901 to serve Omaha's German-speaking Catholics.
The German community in Omaha was literate and large enough to support several German-language newspapers, which also had national distribution. They included the Omaha Tribune, the Volkszeitung Tribune, and the Sonntagspost, which was later called the AmericaHerold.
Edward Rosewater
Edward Rosewater
Edward Rosewater, born Edward Rosenwasser, was a Republican Party politician and newspaper editor in Omaha, Nebraska...
, the Czech editor at The Omaha Bee, used the slogan "Germania our Mother, Columbia our Bride" to describe the kind of "dual-sentimentality" many Germans in America felt towards their country of origin. In later years Germans came to Omaha for work and to escape state oppression led by Kaiser Wilhelm
William II, German Emperor
Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. He was a grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe...
in Germany.
The German community in Omaha was noted for integrating
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
quickly throughout the city. Period sociological
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
research also identified a range of reluctance among German immigrants, as well as second- and third-generation Germans towards assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
. During the early 20th century Germans in Omaha were successful in ensuring that German culture
Culture of Germany
German culture began long before the rise of Germany as a nation-state and spanned the entire German-speaking world. From its roots, culture in Germany has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular...
, German history
History of Germany
The concept of Germany as a distinct region in central Europe can be traced to Roman commander Julius Caesar, who referred to the unconquered area east of the Rhine as Germania, thus distinguishing it from Gaul , which he had conquered. The victory of the Germanic tribes in the Battle of the...
and German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
lessons were included in the local public school system.
Employment
Brewing
Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...
sector, which was created by German immigrants. Leading German employers in the city included the Metz Brewery
Metz Brewery
The Metz Brothers Brewing Company was among the first brewers in the U.S. state of Nebraska, having been established in the city of Omaha in 1859. It was among the earliest manufacturers in the city. After originally opening as the McCumbe Brewery, the facility was sold several times until brothers...
, Krug Brewery
Krug Brewery
The Fred Krug Brewery was located at 2435 Deer Park Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1859, Krug Brewery was the first brewery in the city. Krug was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Storz, Willow Springs and Metz breweries...
and the Storz Brewery. Gottlieb Storz
Gottlieb Storz
Gottlieb Storz was a pioneer entrepreneur in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany, Storz was the founder of the Storz Brewery. He was an important member of Omaha's German immigrant community, and an important businessman in Omaha history...
, Frederick Krug
Frederick Krug
Frederick Krug was the German-immigrant founder of the Frederick Krug Brewing Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Krug is often cited as one of the founders of Omaha...
and Frederick Metz
Frederick Metz
Frederick Metz founded and owned the Metz Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, for forty years. He was also a two-time representative in the Nebraska Legislature, and an influential member of Omaha society.-Biography:...
built the success of their breweries by hiring German brewmeisters and laborers for their skills.
Many Germans in the Omaha area also worked at the Union Stockyards
Union Stockyards (Omaha)
The Union Stockyards of Omaha, Nebraska were founded in 1883 in South Omaha by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. A fierce rival of Chicago's Union Stock Yards, the Omaha Union Stockyards were third in the nation for production by 1890. In 1947 they were second to Chicago in the world...
, and in farming in Douglas County
Douglas County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile . There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile...
. In 1910 the Union Stockyards reported to the United States Immigration Commission that 14.1% of its workers were German immigrants. Numerous Germans worked at German beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
s, dry goods
Dry goods
Dry goods are products such as textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and sundries. In U.S. retailing, a dry goods store carries consumer goods that are distinct from those carried by hardware stores and grocery stores, though "dry goods" as a term for textiles has been dated back to 1742 in England or...
stores, farms
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and milling
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
operations throughout the city and Douglas County. The German work ethic was highly regarded throughout the city. Immigrant workers from Germany were readily employed in Jobbers Canyon and by the railroads in Omaha.
Politics
German-owned breweries in Omaha sought to keep alcohol legal. German voters in Omaha were largely responsible for the election of Nebraska Governor Ashton C. ShallenbergerAshton C. Shallenberger
Ashton Cokayne Shallenberger was a Nebraska Democratic politician best known for being the 15th Governor of Nebraska from 1909 to 1911. He was first elected to the 57th United States Congress but failed to be reelected in 1902. He was elected governor from 1909–1911 and then was unsuccessful in...
in 1908, as Shallenberger ran on an anti-Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
slate. After he was elected, however, Shallenberger became pro-Prohibition. Temperance was strongly supported in most of Nebraska for 30 years before the national Prohibition movement. A statewide election seeking a prohibition of alcohol in 1890 won in almost every county across the state, except Omaha's Douglas County
Douglas County, Nebraska
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 463,585 people, 182,194 households, and 115,146 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,401 people per square mile . There were 192,672 housing units at an average density of 582 per square mile...
. The German vote there was credited for keeping the state "wet" during that period. When William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
returned to Nebraska after his third unsuccessful Presidential campaign in 1908
United States presidential election, 1908
The United States presidential election of 1908 was held on November 3, 1908. Popular incumbent President Theodore Roosevelt, honoring a promise not to seek a third term, persuaded the Republican Party to nominate William Howard Taft, his close friend and Secretary of War, to become his successor...
to advocate for Prohibition, he became "the arch enemy of das Deutschtum."
National German-American Alliance
In July 1910 Germans in Omaha rallied with other immigrant organizations across the city to create the National German-American AllianceNational German-American Alliance
The National German-American Alliance, also called the NGAA or Deutschamerikanische Nationalbund, was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 6, 1901 by Charles J. Hexamer, who also served as its president until 1917. Operating as a federation of ethnic German associations, by 1914 the...
. At least 54 social, farming and cultural organizations from around Omaha were represented at the first meeting. This alliance brought together many German organizations around Omaha in July 1911 at the city's annual Sängerfest, which was a dance and rally for more than 5,000 attendees. By masking political objectives within a German cultural event, National German-American Alliance leaders were able to openly politicize the event without scrutiny from the mainstream press.
Bavarian-born Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter
Valentin J. Peter was a Bavarian-born publisher of a German language newspaper called the Omaha Tribüne and the president of the Nebraska chapter of the National German-American Alliance.-About:...
was the publisher of a German-language newspaper called the Omaha Tribüne. In 1914 Peter led the National German-American Alliance in strong opposition to women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
during a statewide election on the issue. The Omaha Tribune editor denounced the effort as "chiefly... to introduce state prohibition with the help of these women's voices."
In the years leading up the US entry into World War I, tensions in Europe were reflected in the US. During a 1915 address to the National German-American Alliance, Valentin Peter said,
Such expression of pro-German feelings by German immigrants aroused anti-German sentiment in the many Americans who favored the British as allies. Nonetheless, in 1916, the Vice-President of the National German-American Alliance openly chastised President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
for pro-Ally
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
actions at the beginning of the War. Peter's son, Valentin J. Peter, Jr., SJ, served as the executive director of Boystown (Father Flanagans Home for Boys) for several years. http://www.boystown.org/AboutUs/history/Pages/PastDirectors.aspx
World War I
By the outbreak of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, some Americans were concerned about divided loyalties of German immigrants and their descendants. A nativist movement affected Omaha. The Federal government enforced the Alien and Sedition Acts
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were four bills passed in 1798 by the Federalists in the 5th United States Congress in the aftermath of the French Revolution's reign of terror and during an undeclared naval war with France, later known as the Quasi-War. They were signed into law by President John Adams...
against Germans nationals. Germans who were not American citizen
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
s were required to register with the Federal government as "Alien Enemies". Although Valentin Peter had earlier been a supporter of Germany against Great Britain, by the outbreak of the war, the editor of the Omaha Tribünehad become an ardent supporter of United States' involvement in World War I on the side of Great Britain.
Anti-German feelings ran high in Nebraska because of the war. A historian noted, "German books were destroyed. The legislature prohibited the use of foreign languages on the public streets or on the telephone and prohibited schools from using or even teaching foreign languages below the eighth grade. Wartime patriots initiated both official and vigilante action against German immigrants."
When the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered the war, most general businesses and churches ceased conducting affairs in German due to nativist sentiment. They did not want to appear less than loyal to the US. This sentiment seeped into the general Nebraska population.
Post-War
Anti-German sentiment contributed to passage of a 1919 state law that enforced teaching in English. By law, "No person, individually or as a teacher, shall, in any private, denominational, parochial or public school, teach any subject to any person in any language than the English language." Robert Meyer was found to violate this law because he taught German. He was taken to court by the State of Nebraska. Although his appeal to the Nebraska Supreme CourtNebraska Supreme Court
The Nebraska Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. Each Justice is initially appointed by the Governor of Nebraska; using the Missouri Plan, each Justice is then subject to a retention vote for additional...
failed, the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in Meyer v. Nebraska
Meyer v. Nebraska
Meyer v. Nebraska, 262 U.S. 390 , was a U.S. Supreme Court case that held that a 1919 Nebraska law restricting foreign-language education violated the Due Process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.-Context and legislation:...
determined that Meyer had the right to teach the German language as a subject, and to teach it in German.
By 1919 open discrimination against Germans throughout Omaha was taking hold. Many German-language newspapers were forced to change to English, or to close.
Political influence
After the First World War, Germans in America sought to regain their political influence, and they succeeded. Both Valentin Peter, editor of the Omaha Tribüne, and the National German-American Alliance gained enough political clout to influence United States presidential campaigns. In 1920, immediately after the 1920 United States presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1920
The United States presidential election of 1920 was dominated by the aftermath of World War I and a hostile response to certain policies of Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic president. The wartime economic boom had collapsed. Politicians were arguing over peace treaties and the question of America's...
in November, Peter came under scrutiny by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, and was called to testify on his involvement in the campaign. According to Peter's testimony, he flipped to supporting Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
in exchange for $12,500. Later, during the 1928 presidential election
United States presidential election, 1928
The United States presidential election of 1928 pitted Republican Herbert Hoover against Democrat Al Smith. The Republicans were identified with the booming economy of the 1920s, whereas Smith, a Roman Catholic, suffered politically from Anti-Catholic prejudice, his anti-prohibitionist stance, and...
, the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
enlisted Peter to join to show the support of German-Americans for Al Smith
Al Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith. , known in private and public life as Al Smith, was an American statesman who was elected the 42nd Governor of New York three times, and was the Democratic U.S. presidential candidate in 1928...
. There were deep divides among Germans in America in politics and many cultural issues.
World War II
By this period there were few first generation German immigrants. German Americans had national spokesmen who often provided conflicting political messages. They reflected the wide variety of opinions held by German Americans as they had assimilated into American life. Period sociologists noted the multiplicity of opinions as demonstrating the process of American assimilation among Germans in America. Many German-Americans were completely assimilated into American society. By World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, many of the distinctive institutions of German society in Omaha, such as stores, German-language churches, and social groups, had disappeared or become less exclusive of other groups.
Legacies
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
. She addressed the assimilation, discrimination and community of Germans in several of her stories.
The inventor of the Reuben sandwich
Reuben sandwich
The Reuben sandwich is a hot sandwich of layered meat, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese, with a dressing. These are grilled between slices of rye bread. The meat is either corned beef or pastrami, and the dressing is either Russian or Thousand Island dressing...
was a German American who lived in Omaha. Omaha Tribune editor Val Peter's company, the Interstate Printing Company, is still operated today by the Peter family in Omaha. The Volkszeitung Tribune was a German-language newspaper that was published in Omaha from the late 19th century through the 1980s. A German Old People's Home was located in Omaha for almost 100 years. A home for elderly people of German heritage, it was operated as a charitable, non-profit corporation by twenty-seven trustees, all descendants of German immigrants.
Current
St. Joseph's Catholic Parish, located at 1723 South 17th Street in South Omaha, continues with parishioners of German heritage comprising a large percentage of the church's membership.The German-American Society, located at 3717 South 120th Street in West Omaha, continues to hold regular events, teach German traditions and observe special celebrations. Its location in a more suburban area represents the long-established assimilation of German Americans.
Notable Germans and German-Americans in Omaha
| Notable Germans and German-Americans in Omaha (Alphabetical) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Born/died | Connection to Germany | Connection to Omaha | Notability |
| Adele Astaire Adele Astaire Lady Charles Cavendish , better known as Adele Astaire, was an American dancer and entertainer. She was Fred Astaire's elder sister. Her birthdate was often given as 1897 or 1898, but the 1900 U.S... Adele Austerlitz |
1896–1981 | Daughter of German father | Born in Omaha | American dancer and entertainer |
| Fred Astaire Fred Astaire Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute... Frederick Austerlitz |
1899–1987 | Son of German father | Born in Omaha | American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor |
| Max Baer | 1909–1959 | Son of German Jewish parents | Born in Omaha | Onetime Heavyweight Champion of the World American boxer, actor and entertainer |
| Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St... |
1924–2004 | German ancestry | Born in Omaha | American actor |
| Marg Helgenberger Marg Helgenberger Mary Marg Helgenberger is an American film and television actress known for her roles as Catherine Willows in the CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and as K.C... |
1958- | German ancestry | Born in Omaha | American actress |
| Frederick Krug Frederick Krug Frederick Krug was the German-immigrant founder of the Frederick Krug Brewing Company of Omaha, Nebraska. Krug is often cited as one of the founders of Omaha... |
1855–1930 | Volga German Volga German The Volga Germans were ethnic Germans living along the River Volga in the region of southern European Russia around Saratov and to the south. Recruited as immigrants to Russia in the 18th century, they were allowed to maintain German culture, language, traditions and churches: Lutherans, Reformed,... |
Kratzke, Russia | Founder of Krug Brewery Krug Brewery The Fred Krug Brewery was located at 2435 Deer Park Boulevard in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1859, Krug Brewery was the first brewery in the city. Krug was one of the "Big 4" brewers located in Omaha, which also included the Storz, Willow Springs and Metz breweries... |
| Charles O. Lobeck Charles O. Lobeck Charles Otto Lobeck was a Nebraska United States Representative politician.Born in Andover, Illinois on April 6, 1852, he attended German Wallace College in Berea, Ohio and the Dyhrenfurth Commercial College in Chicago, Illinois. He moved to Dayton, Iowa in 1869 finding a job as a clerk in a... |
1852–1920 | Born to German father and Swedish mother | Lived in Omaha | Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous... U.S. Representative from Nebraska from 1911–1919 |
| Frederick Metz Frederick Metz Frederick Metz founded and owned the Metz Brewery in Omaha, Nebraska, for forty years. He was also a two-time representative in the Nebraska Legislature, and an influential member of Omaha society.-Biography:... |
1832–1901 | Immigrated from Hesse-Cassel, Germany Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel or Hesse-Cassel was a state in the Holy Roman Empire under Imperial immediacy that came into existence when the Landgraviate of Hesse was divided in 1567 upon the death of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. His eldest son William IV inherited the northern half and the... in 1851 |
Lived in Omaha | Co-founded Metz Brewery Metz Brewery The Metz Brothers Brewing Company was among the first brewers in the U.S. state of Nebraska, having been established in the city of Omaha in 1859. It was among the earliest manufacturers in the city. After originally opening as the McCumbe Brewery, the facility was sold several times until brothers... in 1864 |
| Nick Nolte Nick Nolte Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:... |
1941- | Grandson of German | Born in Omaha | American actor |
| John Louis Nuelsen John Louis Nuelsen John Louis Nuelsen was a German-American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and The Methodist Church, elected in 1908. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist Pastor, as a college and seminary professor and theologian, and as an author and editor.-Birth and Family:John was born 19... |
1867–1946 | Born to German parents | Served in Omaha from 1908-1912. | Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of... |
| Conor Oberst Conor Oberst Conor Mullen Oberst is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Bright Eyes. He has also played in several other bands, including Desaparecidos, Norman Bailer , Commander Venus, Park Ave., Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, and Monsters of Folk.-Musical career:Oberst began... |
1980- | German ancestry | Born and raised in Omaha | American indie singer |
| Valentin J. Peter Valentin J. Peter Valentin J. Peter was a Bavarian-born publisher of a German language newspaper called the Omaha Tribüne and the president of the Nebraska chapter of the National German-American Alliance.-About:... |
1875-? | Bavaria | Lived in Omaha from 1907 to death | Publisher and editor of Omaha Tribune |
| Joseph Rummel Joseph Rummel Joseph Francis Rummel was bishop of the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska and Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans Joseph Francis Rummel (October 14, 1876, Steinmauern, Baden - November 8, 1964, New Orleans, Louisiana) was bishop of the Diocese of Omaha, Nebraska (Mar. 30, 1928 - Mar. 9, 1935)... |
1876–1964 | Immigrated from Baden, Germany in 1882 | Served as bishop of the Diocese of Omaha from 1928–1935 | Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans |
| Nicholas Sparks Nicholas Sparks (author) Nicholas Charles Sparks is an internationally-bestselling American novelist and screenwriter. He has 16 published novels, with thematic ideas that include cancer, death and love. Six have been adapted to film, including Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe,... |
1965- | German ancestry | Born in Omaha | American author |
| Gottlieb Storz Gottlieb Storz Gottlieb Storz was a pioneer entrepreneur in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany, Storz was the founder of the Storz Brewery. He was an important member of Omaha's German immigrant community, and an important businessman in Omaha history... |
?-1939 | Immigrated to U.S. from Wurttemberg, Germany in 1870 | Lived in Omaha | Founded Storz Brewery in 1876 |