The Mankato free press., 1912-07-26
HENRY POEHLER, STATE
PIONEER, PASSED AWAY
From Fridays Daily.


er, head of the H. Poehler company
of Minneapolis, one of the oldest
business houses in Minnesota, died
yesterday afternoon at the home of
his sister, Mrs. Charles Comnick, in
Henderson, Mimi, where he had set
tied in 1853, and where, in 1855, he
had founded the firm of which he
was the head.
OF late years he had made his
home in Los Angeles, Cal, but he
had always regarded Henderson as
his real home, and it was as if with
premonition of his approaching death
that he had hastened his return from
California about three weeks ago
and had gone tc the old home last
Saturday after a visit with his sons
in Minneapolis.
Mr.. Poehler was born in Hiddes-
sen, Lippe Detmold, Germany, Au-
gust %, 1888, the third child of a
family of ten children. He came to
the United State in 1S4S, landing at
New Orleans and coming up the
Mississippi river by boat. Until
1853 he lived in and near Burling-
ton, Iowa.
Early Arrival in Mankato.
Then he came up the river to st.
Paul and in May went to Mankato,
then a hamlet of three or four
houses. but returned to st. Paul and
remained there until the summer of
1854, when Joseph R. Brown, one of
the foremost figures in the early
history of Minnesota, employed him
to go to Henderson and take charge
of his store, frontier trading point.
Mr.. Poehler arrived there on his
twenty-first birthday anniversary,
and spent the fall and winter in the
little store. In April, 1855, he and his
brother, Frederick, bought Major
Browns store, and thus the Poehler
business concern was started under
the firm name of H. Poehler and
Brother-a business which still en-
dures, and which celebrated formally
it's golden anniversary in Minneapo-
lis in 1905.
During the next fifteen years the
firm and its members were promi-
nent in the upbuilding of the Min
nesota valley, and figured in the
large business affairs of the time,
including participation in large feder-
al government contracts which
brought Mr.. Poehler in intimate re-
lationship with the builders of the
state, Ramsey, Pillsbury, Hill, Davis,
the Merriams, Wilder, and men of
their style.
Lived in the Open.
The business took Mr.. Poehler on
long trips with wagon trains under
military escort through western Min
nesota up to Fort Totten and the
other army posts of Dakota and Min
nesota. His life was lived in the
open, and buffalo hunting formed one
of the recreations of his time. He
took a prominent part as democrat
in politics, too, and was thus mem
Der of the first state legislature, as
we'll as of the legislatures of 1872
to 1877, and member of congress, to
which he was elected in 1878 from
the third district.
In 1881 Mr.. Poehler established the
Pacific Elevator company, with a
line of elevators along the Minneapo-
lis and st. Louis railways line. to
Watertown, S. d. In 1889 he sold
his interest in the Henderson busi-
ness house, and continued the grain
business of H. Poehler & Co., in
Minneapolis as chamber OF COM
merce member, making his home in
this city much of the time thereafter.
In 1898 the business was incorporat-
ed under it's present name, and Mr..
Poehler continued in active partici-
patton in it's affairs until within the
last few years, when his sons took
the business cares off his shoulders.
Pioneers Were His Cronies.
During all the years of his excep-
tionally active life, Mr.. Poehler was
thus prominent in the business, polit-
ical and social affairs of the state.
His cronies-among whom none is
better known to the older folk than
Captain John Vanderhorck-were and
are the best known men among the
survivors of the state builders of
Minnesota, and none was held in
greater affection than Henry Poehler.
In 1861 Mr. Poehler married Eliza
beth Frankenfield, who survives him.
He leaves also three sons and two
daughters; A. H., c. F., and w. c. I
Poehler of Minneapolis, and the
Misses Irene and Augusta Poehler of
Los Angeles. He leaves also two
sisters, Mrs. Comnick of Henderson
and Mrs. A M. Schnell of San Diego, :
Cal. Arrangements for the funeral /
have not yet been made, but it is !,
expected it will take place in Hen
dersoni a