Julius Houseman was a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 businessman and politician who served as mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...

, as representative in the Michigan House of Representatives and as Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

.

Early life

He was born in Zeckendorf

Zeckendorf

Zeckendorf may refer to:* Edouard Zeckendorf, Belgian mathematician known for Zeckendorf's theorem* William Zeckendorf, Sr, American real estate developer* William Zeckendorf Jr, real estate developer* Arthur W...

, (near Bamberg

Bamberg

Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...

) 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...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. His father, Solomon Houseman, was a merchant and manufacturer of silk and cotton goods in Zeckendorf. Houseman was educated in the national schools of Zeckendorf and Bamberg and finished with a two-year course of study at a commercial school at Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

. He then worked as dry goods clerk in a store in Bavaria, where he remained for three years.

Career

He immigrated to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 in 1851, at the age of nineteen, stopping first in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, where he was clerk in a clothing house for a few months. He then moved to New Vienna, Ohio

New Vienna, Ohio

New Vienna is a village in Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,294 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Vienna is located at ....

, where he remained as clerk in a general store until March 1852. He then moved to Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek, Michigan

Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek Rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area , which encompasses all of Calhoun county...

, and engaged in the merchant tailoring and clothing business with Mr. I. Amberg, the firm name being Amberg & Houseman. He moved to Grand Rapids in August 1852, before he was twenty years old, and established a branch of the Battle Creek firm. He is recognized as the first permanent Jewish settler of Grand Rapids.

The business prospered, and in 1854, he became sole proprietor, which he continued for nine years. In 1864 the firm of Houseman, Alsberg & Co. was organized, with branch houses in New York, Baltimore and Savannah

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...

. The firm continued until 1870, when it was dissolved, with Mr. Houseman retaining possession of the Grand Rapids establishment. In 1876 he disposed of his business to his cousin, Joseph Houseman, who had been a partner for several years, and Moses May, who continued it for a number of years under the firm name of Houseman & May, which was later succeeded by Houseman, Donally & Jones.

Houseman had developed an active interest in other lines of business and investments, notably in timber lands and the manufacture of pine lumber in Michigan, and after 1876 devoted himself largely to those interests. He was one of the largest holders of real estate in the Grand Rapids area and also held large tracts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

Upper Peninsula of Michigan

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...

 and in other states.

He also became involved with other business interests in Grand Rapids. In 1870 he became a stockholder in the City National bank, the predecessor of the National City bank. In August, 1874, he was chosen a director to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of the late Ransom E. Wood, who was going to Europe with his family.

In 1882, at the annual meeting in January he was chosen vice president of the bank when the late William B. Ledyard declined a re-election because of infirm health. Houseman was one of the organizers of the Grand Rapids chair company, serving as a director and vice president. He was also a director of the Grand Rapids Brush company and a leading stockholder, director and president of the Grand Rapids Fire Insurance company. He was one of the founders and directors of the Michigan Trust company and was also identified with many other enterprises.

Political career

Houseman was also active in the political arena. He was member of the board of aldermen of Grand Rapids for eight years, from 1863 to 1870. He represented the first district of Kent County

Kent County, Michigan

-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...

 in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1871 to 1872, He served two terms as mayor of Grand Rapids in 1872-1873 and 1874–1875 and was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Michigan

The Lieutenant Governor of Michigan is the second-ranking official in U.S. state of Michigan, behind the governor, and one of four great offices of state...

 in 1876. He was elected as a Fusion

Electoral fusion

Electoral fusion is an arrangement where two or more political parties on a ballot list the same candidate, pooling the votes for that candidate...

 candidate and seated with the Democrats

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...

 in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Michigan's 5th congressional district

Michigan's 5th congressional district

Michigan's 5th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.It is currently a mostly industrial area , with Tuscola County being the main exception. It encompasses much of the area south of Saginaw Bay...

, serving from 1883 to 1885, the first Jewish representative from Michigan. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1884 and resumed his former business pursuits.

He became a member of the Freemasons

Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...

 in 1854 and was a member of the Odd Fellows

Independent Order of Odd Fellows

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows , also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the similar British Oddfellows service organizations which came into being during the 18th century, at a time when altruistic and charitable acts were...

 and of the B'nai B'rith

B'nai B'rith

B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....

. He was a charter member of the local Peninsular Club and was a member of the local Owashtanong club. He was influential in forming the Temple Emanuel, (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Temple Emanuel, (Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Temple Emanuel is a Reform synagogue in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The congregation was founded in 1857 and describes itself as the fifth oldest Reform congregation in the United States. The congregation erected its first building in 1882 at the corner of Fountain and Ransom Streets...

 in 1857, the fifth oldest reform congregation in the United States, and in founding the first Jewish organization in Grand Rapids, the Jewish Benevolent and Burial Society.

Death and legacy

He died in Grand Rapids and is interred in Oak Hill Cemetery there. He left a large property, estimated to be worth approximately a million dollars. He was survived by his daughter, an only child, Mrs. David M. Amberg and family of Grand Rapids; his sister, Mrs. M. Alsberg of New York city; William Houseman, a half brother; Mrs. Simon Mainzer, a half sister, and his cousin, Mr. Joseph Houseman and family. There were also several half-brothers and half-sisters in Germany.

In 1907, his daughter, Hattie Houseman Amberg, donated six acres (24,000 m²) of land to the Grand Rapids Board of Education for use as an athletic field in memory of her father. In 1924, she gave an additional adjoining tract of land. The Houseman Field continues be shared by several Grand Rapids area high schools.

External links

• Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (portions of this article were derived from this public domain resource)
• Biographical notes from the Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan, 1891 (portions of this article were derived from this public domain resource)