The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1917-03-08
PROMINENT IN INDUSTRY
Worked His Way from Position as Track
Laborer Up to High Post of Vice
President of Simmons Company
Long Struggle With Disease.
[From Friday s Dailyl

L 1OA1 L 11uCy D Ddl1y
Otto Rudd, aged 48 years, vice-presi
dent and superintendent of physical
properties of the Simmons Manufacture
ing Company, died at the Mayo Broth
ers Hospital at Rochester, Mimi, just
after three o'clock this morning. He
had been i'll for more than two years
and death came as result of paral-
ysis of the kidneys.
In the past few years Mr.. Rudd had
made a memorable fight for health. He
had gone to the hospital at Rochester
less than ten days ago and when he
left Kenosha, his close personal friends
did not know that his condition was
critical. The announcement of his
death came as a great shock in Keno
sha today. For the past four days his
condition had been such as to offer
little hope of his recovery and on
Thursday morning he became uncon-
scious and he remained in this eondi-
ton until the end came early today.
Otto Rudd was one Of the most
unique characters ever developed in
the great industrial world Of Kenosha.
He had grown into one of the highest
positions connected with the great in
dustries of the city from the humble
position of q track laborer. He had
felt thrills in life and had brought
much of inspiration to other men.
He was a native of Sweden where
he was born May 81, 1868. When he
was eighteen years of age he came to
this country and like lot of other
Swedish immigrants, he went UP into
Minnesota. His first work was in
gravel pit owned by railway com
pany an then he was advanced TO the
position of track laborer. He went
from Minnesota to Chicago twenty
eight years ago and was employed by
the Chicago Link Belt Company for
two years. Then he came to Kenosha
and his first employment in this city
was with the Davy Clay Burnt Ballast
Company. Later he went back to Chi
cago and for seven years he was en-
pioyed In the great plants of the Allis-
Chalmers Company in that and other
cities. When he returned to Kenosha
he worked for a short time with the
Thomas B. Jeffrey Company and then
went to the Simmons Manufacturing
Company in 1902 as foreman of the
machine shop. He graduated from
this position to the head of the foun-
dry and machine shops and was jumped
to the position. of assistant superin-
tendent. Nearly FIVE years ago he be-
came the general superintendent of the
company succeeding W. w. Vincent.
He held this position until the last
meeting of the board of directors of
the company when he was elected as
a vice-president of the company and
named as general superintendent of
the properties of the company.
Otto Rudd had a wonderful faculty
for handling men and it was this facul-
ty that made him successful in his
work. He was regarded as one of the
most competent production experts in
The country and he had instituted
many methods in the Simmons plant
which had brought a great advance in
the efficiency of the organization.
Socially he was widely known in Ke-
nosha. he had for many years been
an active member of the various Ma
sonic orders in Kenosha and he was a
member of the Tripoli Temple of the
Mystic Shrine. He was also one of the
Oldest members of the Kenosha lodge
of E1ks.
Surviving are his widow and two
daughters, Miss Ingeborg Rudd, now a
student in the University of Wiseon-
sin at Madison and Miss Charlotte
Rudd. His wife and daughters were
with him at the hospital when the final
summons came,