AUGUST SCHUETTE

WELL KNOWN MERCHANT IS STRICKEN
AUG. SCHUETTE DIES SUDDENLY AT HOME TODAY
Pioneer Business Man Had Been Ill but Few Hours as End Came
Life's uncertainty was again emphasized to Manitowoc today in the
sudden and unexpected death of August Schuette, pioneer merchant
and one of the most widely known residents of the county. Mr.
Schuette's death which came as a great shock to the community with
whose life he had been prominently identified for three score years,
occurred at the family home on South Eighth street a few minutes
after he had returned from the Schuette Bros. store, where he had
gone a usual this morning for his day's business.
Although Mr. Schuette was 79 years of age his health had been
excellent and had caused no apprehension and when he complained of
being tired this morning and said he would return home for a few
hours rest, there was no thought that he would not be back at the
store later in the day. He was stricken soon after reaching his
home and expired before a physician could be summoned.
Stricken at Home
Mr. Schuette had returned home in a cab and had just entered the
house and seated himself when he collapsed. Mrs. Schuette was absent
at the time and the maid who addressed him received no response and
Mrs. Alois Lange, a neighbor, was hastily summoned and called Mr.
Schuette's son, Walter, at the store but before his arrival at the
house the end came. Death was due to heart failure.
News of the death of Mr. Schuette spread through the city and the
suddenness of the demise added to the shock which it carried.
Expressions of sincere regret were heard in all sides and in business
circles and circles in which Mr. Schuette was best known, the loss to
the city was emphasized. The Schuette Bros. Co. store was closed
immediately and will remain closed until after the funeral arrangements
for which await the return of Paul Schuette, son of the decedent who
was in Chicago at the sad happening but will return this evening.
Pioneer Merchant of City
August Schuette was one of the pioneer merchants of Manitowoc and
probably the oldest actve business man of the city at his death. He
was born July 12, 1847 and became a resident here at the age of one
year when his parents located in the city, his father John Schuette,
Sr., engaging in the mercantile business which in its development is
today represented by the mammoth store of the Schuette Bros. Co.
Educated in the local schools, Mr. Schuette later attended Wittman
academy and at the age of 17 was granted a teachers' certificate
unusual to one of that age in earlier days. Mr. Schuette later became
identified with his brothers in the business of Schuette Bros. Co.,
in which he has been active for a half century and during the last
nine years has been president.
Interested in Farmer
During his long career in business Mr. Schuette had been in close
touch with agricultural development in the county and probably no
man was more widely known to the rural sections than he. For many
years he had been in charge of the farm produce department of the
Schuette store which was the first in the city to pay cash for farm
produce, and he was always ready to welcome and assist farmers who
sought his help and advice. In the rural communities of Manitowoc
county the death of Mr. Schuette will be learned with deep sorrow.
Leaves Wife, Four Children
Mr. Schuette was married on November 27, 1878 to Hattie Hottelmann,
who with four children, Paul and Walter of this city, Mrs. Roland
Teitgen, Milwaukee and Mrs. Irma Scove, of Santa Anna, Cal., survive
him. One brother George Schuette and nine grandchildren also survive.
Mr. Schuette was the youngest but one of the family of John Schuette,
Sr. He was one of the members of the pioneer German Singing societies
of the city, now merged, and was an active participant in the affairs
of the organization. A lover of home and family Mr. Schuette had not
identified himself with many organizations of fraternal character,
his membership in the Eagles having been but recently taken up.
Universally Esteemed
A man who possessed in a marked degree those attributes of personality
and character that win and hold friends, Mr. Schuette was universally
esteemed. He was a man of keen judgment, approachable at all times and
his friendship was valued by all who possessed it. His life,
practically all in this community, is a tribute to his character.
Stores Close for Funeral
As a mark of esteem to Mr. Schuette, and indication—the high place he
held in the business world merchants of the city today announced that
stores would be closed during the hours of the funeral.
Manitowoc Herald News, Wednesday, May 19, 1926 P. 1
*******
August Schuette, president of the Schuette Bros. Company of Manitowoc,
and a man to whom Manitowoc owes much, died suddenly at his home in
that city yesterday from a heart attack.
The death of this pioneer of Manitowoc county is more than a local loss,
for he was not only head of a great business that extended into all
sections of that county, but he participated, even at his advanced age,
in every worth-while movement inaugurated in this section of the state.
When agitation was on, some two years ago, for a Safe Drivers' Club in
Manitowoc, Mr. Schuette was one of the most enthusiastic supporters, and
in the Elks Club one night he made an appeal that did not fall upon deaf
ears.
The Schuette Bros. Company is an institution that has been known in this
section of the state for more than three-quarters of a century. John
Schuette, Sr., was the original founder of the business. In 1822 he
engaged in the store business in Charleston, South Carolina, and later
in Norfolk Virginia. These early-day experiences qualified him for his
later success. The eighteen years between 1830 and 1848 were spent in
Germany. Returning to this country, he came directly to Manitowoc, and
in May, 1849, erected a small frame building and founded what is the
Schuette store, on the same corner where the large building stands
today.
The senior Mr. Schuette passed away in 1862 at the age of seventy-four
years, and two of his sons succeeded to the business, Henry and John.
Later, August became identified with the business and when it was
incorporated in 1901, the four Schuette brothers and two of their sons
became interested, along with Mr. Alter. In 1917, when Fred Schuette
passed away, Mr. Schuette was elected president of the concern, and
though well advanced in years, he was a persistent worker,
characteristic of that family.
It is a great store based upon honesty and square dealing, and its
influence is felt because of the character of the men that have been
identified with it from time to time. Business of this character is not
built in a day or a year, but is the handiwork of men who formulate and
carry out certain principles which give people confidence in the
institution. That is why the name sometimes is more of an asset than
the stock contained within the walls of the building.
Mr. Schuette, who has just closed his early career, believed in Manitowoc
and her institutions, and any time that an individual is sold upon a city,
his influence is one of her strongest assets. So it was with him. As a
member of the Safe Drivers' Club, he was running true to form, rendering
service to the community of which he was a part. So we might go on and
list a number of activities in which he played a part, and their success
attests to the high character of August Schuette.
Sheboygan Press, Thursday, May 20, 1926 P. 22
********
(August Schuette/d. 19 May 1926/age 79 yrs./
from record of St. James Epis. ch., Manitowoc)