Herman Kountze
Encyclopedia
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 Bank of Omaha
that year. Kountze was involved in a number of influential ventures around Omaha, including the development of the Omaha Stockyards and the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898. Immediately after his death Kountze was regarded as one of Omaha's "old settlers". Today Kountze's First National Bank is the oldest bank west of the Mississippi River
, and continues as a privately held company
in its sixth generation of family ownership.
. Immediately the brothers organized the Kountze Brothers Bank and bought a large amount of land in the river towns along the Missouri River
in Nebraska
, with holdings in Brownville
, Nebraska City
, Tekamah
, and Dakota City
, and in Sioux City, Iowa
. Eventually they invested throughout Nebraska, across Iowa
, Minnesota
, and the forests and grazing lands of east Texas
, as well as in Chicago and Denver
. In 1864, Kountze married Elizabeth Davis, the daughter of Thomas Davis, a founding pioneer of Omaha.
, with fellow Omaha businessman Edward Creighton
serving as the first president. Herman was the bank's first cashier, and became the second president of the bank after Creighton died in 1873. In 1862 he joined several of his brothers, including Augustus, in founding the Kountze Brothers Bank of Denver, which became the Colorado National Bank in 1866.
Herman's brother Luther
went to New York City
and founded the Kountze Brothers Bank there in 1867. Herman joined his brother Augustus as senior partner, and by 1872 Augustus moved permanently from Omaha to New York to manage affairs directly. After Augustus left, Herman took the management of the affairs of the firm in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.
.
In 1872, while misunderstanding the ideal location he was selling, Kountze sold the land required to develop Neligh, Nebraska
, which eventually became the county seat of Antelope County
.
In 1883 Kountze was a plaintiff and defendant in a lawsuit and counter-suit with the Omaha Hotel Company owned by John J. Reddick. The case pertained to the money owed in a failed real estate investment scheme. Other codefendants in the case included other pioneer investors in Omaha: Jeptha H. Wade, James W. Bosler, Thomas Wardell, Henry W. Yates and John A. Creighton
. They were represented by pioneer lawyer Andrew J. Poppleton.
In 1895 Kountze helped found the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben
to promote Omaha business interests. Its first meeting place was in North Omaha at North 20th and Burdette Streets, located in Kountze Place
.
, Kountze dealt in a great deal of land throughout North Omaha. He sold an 82 acres (331,842.5 m²) tract of land four miles (6 km) north of Omaha and 1½ miles south of Florence
to the U.S. Army in 1868. It became Fort Omaha
. In the late 19th century he donated land to the Sacred Heart Church
at 2206 Binney Street. Kountze donated land to Brownell Hall
to relocate from the former town of Saratoga to South Tenth and Worthington Streets in the late 19th century.
of 1898. After running into transportation issues with its first land choice
for the event, Kountze volunteered to sell part of his Kountze Place
development to the city. As part of the real estate transaction, the City used a small parcel to develop Kountze Park, which still functions as a neighborhood park in that area.
, Herman Kountze was an executor of the will of Mary Lucretia Creighton
after her death in 1876. In that capacity he was partly responsible for carrying out the original intentions of Edward Creighton
, Mary's husband, who wanted to found a free university in Omaha. That institution eventually took the shape of Creighton University
.
, and the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha
of South Omaha. This company was responsible for building the Union Stockyards and the Livestock Exchange Building
, and ran the South Omaha Terminal Railway
.
in Hardin County, Texas was named in honor of Herman and Augustus. They were early financial backers of the Sabine and East Texas Railroad which established the town as a station on the line. As retail businesses and lumbermen accompanied the railroad, the town of Kountze grew, and in 1886 the town became the county seat.
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
, 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....
in the late 19th century. After organizing the Kountze Brothers Bank in 1857 as the second bank in Omaha, Herman and his brothers Augustus
Augustus Kountze
Augustus Kountze was a pioneer banker, politician, philanthropist and railroad supporter in Omaha, Nebraska, Kountze, Texas and New York City...
, Charles 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...
changed the charter in 1863, opening the 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...
that year. Kountze was involved in a number of influential ventures around Omaha, including the development of the Omaha Stockyards and the Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898. Immediately after his death Kountze was regarded as one of Omaha's "old settlers". Today Kountze's First National Bank is the oldest bank west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, and continues as a privately held company
Privately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
in its sixth generation of family ownership.
Biography
Herman Kountze was born August 21, 1833, in Osnaburg, Ohio, one of twelve children born to Christian and Margaret Kountze. After leaving his father's mercantile business at the age of 26, Kountze moved to join his brother Augustus, who was a real estate agent in the new Omaha City, located on the eastern edge of the Nebraska TerritoryNebraska 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...
. Immediately the brothers organized the Kountze Brothers Bank and bought a large amount of land in the river towns along 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 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....
, with holdings in 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
Nebraska City, Nebraska
Nebraska City is a city in Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 7,228 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Otoe County...
, 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
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...
, and in 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 they invested throughout Nebraska, across 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...
, 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 the forests and grazing lands of east Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, as well as in Chicago and Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. In 1864, Kountze married Elizabeth Davis, the daughter of Thomas Davis, a founding pioneer of Omaha.
Kountze Brothers Bank
In 1867, Herman joined his brother in organizing the First National Bank of OmahaFirst 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...
, with fellow Omaha businessman 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...
serving as the first president. Herman was the bank's first cashier, and became the second president of the bank after Creighton died in 1873. In 1862 he joined several of his brothers, including Augustus, in founding the Kountze Brothers Bank of Denver, which became the Colorado National Bank in 1866.
Herman's 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...
went to 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...
and founded the Kountze Brothers Bank there in 1867. Herman joined his brother Augustus as senior partner, and by 1872 Augustus moved permanently from Omaha to New York to manage affairs directly. After Augustus left, Herman took the management of the affairs of the firm in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota.
Other ventures
Herman Kountze was a prolific investor. Among his holdings were a number of railroads, including the Omaha and Northwestern Railroad, the Denver and South Park Railroad, the Sabine and East Texas Railway, the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railway, and the Troy and Boston RailroadTroy and Boston Railroad
The Troy and Boston Railroad was chartered April 4, 1848 and organized November 22, 1849. It completed a railroad from Troy, New York to the Vermont state line in 1852. This was also the main track of the Troy and Rutland Railroad, Rutland and Washington Railroad, and the Rutland Railway...
.
In 1872, while misunderstanding the ideal location he was selling, Kountze sold the land required to develop Neligh, Nebraska
Neligh, Nebraska
Neligh is a city in Antelope County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,651 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Antelope County. The city's name is pronounced .-History:...
, which eventually became the county seat of Antelope County
Antelope County, Nebraska
Antelope County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska, and was formed in 1871. As of 2010, the population estimate was 6,685. Its county seat is Neligh...
.
In 1883 Kountze was a plaintiff and defendant in a lawsuit and counter-suit with the Omaha Hotel Company owned by John J. Reddick. The case pertained to the money owed in a failed real estate investment scheme. Other codefendants in the case included other pioneer investors in Omaha: Jeptha H. Wade, James W. Bosler, Thomas Wardell, Henry W. Yates and John A. Creighton
John A. Creighton
Count John A. Creighton was a pioneer businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, Nebraska who founded Creighton University...
. They were represented by pioneer lawyer Andrew J. Poppleton.
In 1895 Kountze helped found the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben
Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben
The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben Foundation, , is a 501 civic and philanthropic organization in Omaha, Nebraska.-History:The organization was formed in 1895 in an attempt to keep the Nebraska State Fair in Omaha after receiving an ultimatum to provide entertainment "other than saloons, gambling houses and...
to promote Omaha business interests. Its first meeting place was in North Omaha at North 20th and Burdette Streets, located in Kountze Place
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
.
North Omaha
Aside from the aforementioned Kountze PlaceKountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
, Kountze dealt in a great deal of land throughout North Omaha. He sold an 82 acres (331,842.5 m²) tract of land four miles (6 km) north of Omaha and 1½ miles south of 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...
to the U.S. Army in 1868. It 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 the late 19th century he donated land to the Sacred Heart Church
Sacred Heart Catholic Church (Omaha, Nebraska)
Sacred Heart Catholic Church is located at 2206 Binney Street in the Kountze Place neighborhood of North Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1902 in the Late Gothic Revival Style, the City of Omaha declared it a landmark in 1979, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.The...
at 2206 Binney Street. Kountze donated land to Brownell Hall
Brownell-Talbot School
Brownell-Talbot School is Nebraska's only private, independent, co-educational, college preparatory day school. It is located in Omaha, Nebraska...
to relocate from the former town of Saratoga to South Tenth and Worthington Streets in the late 19th century.
Trans-Mississippi Exposition
Herman Kountze was the treasurer for the Trans-Mississippi ExpositionTrans-Mississippi Exposition
The Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition was a world's fair held in Omaha, Nebraska from June 1 to November 1 of 1898. Its goal was to showcase the development of the entire West, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast. The Indian Congress was held concurrently...
of 1898. After running into transportation issues with its first land choice
Miller Park (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Miller Park neighborhood in North Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community housing a historic district and several notable historic places. It is located between Sorenson Parkway on the south and Redick Avenue on the north, Florence Boulevard on the east and 30th Street on the west...
for the event, Kountze volunteered to sell part of his Kountze Place
Kountze Place
The Kountze Place neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska is a historically significant community on the city's north end. Today the neighborhood is home to several buildings and homes listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located between North 16th Avenue on the east to North 30th...
development to the city. As part of the real estate transaction, the City used a small parcel to develop Kountze Park, which still functions as a neighborhood park in that area.
Creighton University
Working with John A. CreightonJohn A. Creighton
Count John A. Creighton was a pioneer businessman and philanthropist in Omaha, Nebraska who founded Creighton University...
, Herman Kountze was an executor of the will of Mary Lucretia Creighton
Mary Lucretia Creighton
Mary Lucretia Creighton was born Mary Lucretia Wareham in Dayton, Ohio. Creighton was a philanthropist who left a bequest of $200,000 in her will to found Creighton University in honor of her husband, Omaha, Nebraska pioneer banker Edward Creighton.-Biography:Edward's brother John married Sarah...
after her death in 1876. In that capacity he was partly responsible for carrying out the original intentions of 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...
, Mary's husband, who wanted to found a free university in Omaha. That institution eventually took the shape of Creighton University
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
.
Omaha Stockyards
Kountze was a partner in the South Omaha Land Syndicate, the South Omaha Land CompanySouth Omaha Land Company
The South Omaha Land Company was created in South Omaha, Nebraska in 1887. Founders included William A. Paxton.-History:The Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha paid $100,000 to the South Omaha Land Company for of land to serve as a transfer station en route to Chicago. In March 1887, two men named...
, and the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha
Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha
The South Omaha Terminal Railway in Omaha, Nebraska was a subsidiary of the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. Until the separate railroad company was created in July 1927, the trackage, about , was owned and operated directly by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha...
of South Omaha. This company was responsible for building the Union Stockyards and the Livestock Exchange Building
Livestock Exchange Building (Omaha)
The Livestock Exchange Building in Omaha, Nebraska was built in 1926 at 4920 South 30 Street in South Omaha. It was designed as the centerpiece of the Union Stockyards by architect George Prinz and built by Peter Kiewit and Sons in the Romanesque revival and Northern Italian Renaissance Revival...
, and ran the South Omaha Terminal Railway
South Omaha Terminal Railway
The South Omaha Terminal Railway in Omaha, Nebraska was a subsidiary of the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha. Until the separate railroad company was created in July 1927, the trackage, about , was owned and operated directly by the Union Stock Yards Company of Omaha...
.
Kountze, Texas
The city of KountzeKountze, 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....
in Hardin County, Texas was named in honor of Herman and Augustus. They were early financial backers of the Sabine and East Texas Railroad which established the town as a station on the line. As retail businesses and lumbermen accompanied the railroad, the town of Kountze grew, and in 1886 the town became the county seat.
Death
Herman Kountze died in 1906 and was interred in Omaha's Forest Lawn Cemetery, of which he was a founding trustee and in which there is a roadway named for him.External links
- Historic image of Herman Kountze
- Historic image of Kountze when he was older.
