Joseph Koenig was born April 21, 1858 near Nysa in present day southwestern Poland. Nysa, formerlly called Neisse, was part of Silesia (Schlesien) in Germany until 1945. During the Napoleonic Wars Neisse was taken by the French in 1807. It retained its mostly Catholic character within the predominantly Protestant province of Silesia in the Kingdom of Prussia. Because of its many churches from the Gothic and Baroque periods the town was nicknamed "the Silesian Rome". Joseph's family was part of that Catholic minority.
Neisse
In 1872, after Joseph's father died, his 10 member family left Europe and relocated to Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. There was already a Koenig family there but it is unknown if they were related. The 1875 Wisconsin Census shows the family was still living in Ozaukee in the town of Mequon. Shortly after he relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, and worked as a decorator. While there he created a patent (#203,923) for a new awning design in 1878.
About 1880 he returned to Wisconsin and attended the Milwaukee Seminary for Teachers for one year. In 1881 he took a one-year course of study at the Milwaukee Normal College of the American Gymnastic Union. This training was in line with Joseph being an active Turner.
Turners were members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnverein. They promoted German culture, physical culture and liberal politics. Besides serving as physical education, social, political and cultural organizations for German immigrants, Turners were also active in public education and labor movements. They were leading promoters of gymnastics in the United States as a sport and as a school subject. The movement declined after 1900.
University of Louisville Law School in the 1880s
By 1882 he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and began teaching and attending the University of Louisville Law School. After Joseph completed the law course he relocated to Kansas and was admitted to the bar. He then began practicing as an attorney in Wichita. Two years later he returned to Louisville to marry Miss Emma Krafft and brought her back to Wichita.
When he returned to Wichita he attempted to go into a new line of business. A local stone business was dissolving it's partnership so Joseph joined C. L. Adams to keep it going. For some reason this new partnership did not work out. It only lasted two weeks before both parties decided it was a failure. Mr. Adam's then talked his old partner into coming back into business with him and Joseph continued his law practice.
In 1886 he tried starting a business again. This time he established a vinegar factory, but on account of the limited demand for this product he gave up this venture also. The factory changed hands and managed to continue in operation for many years.
Joseph then erected a business block in downtown Wichita that still stands. True to his Turner ways he also built a swimming pool and gym for the city. But the city did not advance sufficiently to make this venture profitable. The collapse of the economic boom of 1886 swept away every penny of his earnings and in 1890 he left Wichita.
Joseph then erected a business block in downtown Wichita that still stands. True to his Turner ways he also built a swimming pool and gym for the city. But the city did not advance sufficiently to make this venture profitable. The collapse of the economic boom of 1886 swept away every penny of his earnings and in 1890 he left Wichita.
Joseph Koenig's Natatorium
Giving up on Wichita he went to Chicago and engaged again in teaching for three years.
The discovery of aluminium was announced in 1825 by Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted. The first industrial production of aluminium was initiated by the French chemist Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville in 1856. Aluminium became much more available to the public with the Hall–Héroult process developed independently by French engineer Paul Héroult and American engineer Charles Martin Hall in 1886. The mass production of aluminium led to its extensive use in industry and everyday life. In 1852 aluminium was sold at $34 per ounce in comparison with gold at $19. By 1893 the price of aluminium had dropped to $1 per ounce. Aluminium became widely used in jewelry, everyday items, eyeglass frames, optical instruments and tableware.
At the request of Joseph's cousin, Arthur Reymond, he exhibited some aluminum wares, mainly combs, at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Most of the goods he displayed were manufactured in Germany. Because of the interest that the people took in his items, and the success he had in disposing of the products, Koenig decided to start the manufacture of aluminum goods.
The next year he moved to Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and approached J. E Hamilton who had a wood manufacturing company there. Hamilton rented him space in one of his buildings for his new business. In 1895 he took his merchandise to Chicago and sold all of his inventory and returned with 3 months of orders. He was then on his way to become one of the major manufacturers of aluminum goods in this country.
The discovery of aluminium was announced in 1825 by Danish physicist Hans Christian Ørsted. The first industrial production of aluminium was initiated by the French chemist Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville in 1856. Aluminium became much more available to the public with the Hall–Héroult process developed independently by French engineer Paul Héroult and American engineer Charles Martin Hall in 1886. The mass production of aluminium led to its extensive use in industry and everyday life. In 1852 aluminium was sold at $34 per ounce in comparison with gold at $19. By 1893 the price of aluminium had dropped to $1 per ounce. Aluminium became widely used in jewelry, everyday items, eyeglass frames, optical instruments and tableware.
At the request of Joseph's cousin, Arthur Reymond, he exhibited some aluminum wares, mainly combs, at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Most of the goods he displayed were manufactured in Germany. Because of the interest that the people took in his items, and the success he had in disposing of the products, Koenig decided to start the manufacture of aluminum goods.
The next year he moved to Two Rivers, Wisconsin, and approached J. E Hamilton who had a wood manufacturing company there. Hamilton rented him space in one of his buildings for his new business. In 1895 he took his merchandise to Chicago and sold all of his inventory and returned with 3 months of orders. He was then on his way to become one of the major manufacturers of aluminum goods in this country.
Alfred Ephraim Hunt was a 19th-century American metallurgist and industrialist best known for founding the Pittsburgh Reduction Company that would eventually become Alcoa, the world's largest producer and distributor of aluminum. Formerlly mentioned Charles Martin Hall was one of his partners. By 1890 the company had developed a way to efficiently produce aluminum. The next challenge was to find uses for it.
The Greater Pittsburgh Exposition was an annual event which occurred in the fall of each year between 1889 and 1916. The exposition was located where Point State Park and PNC Park are in Pittsburgh today. The grounds were spread between downtown Pittsburgh and the city of Allegheny (today the North Shore).
The Pittsburgh Exposition Hall
At the 1895 Pittsburgh Expo the Pittsburgh Reduction Company displayed many of their new products. This included kitchen utensils, cables, machine parts, and novelty items, such as outdoor playing cards that would not blow away on a picnic. Joseph Koenig was also there selling his wares at the time.
At this time Joseph's new little company was trying to establish itself in the manufacture of small aluminum wares. This included sourvenirs, combs, hairpins and novelties of all descriptions which could be manufactured with a conservative amount of machinery and tools. The sum total of Mr. Koenig's fortune at this time was $500. It was difficult for him to find to what purpose aluminum metal was best for and many of his first ventures turned out badly while others succeeded. The metal was new and its qualities unknown and the natural distrust of any thing new thing had to be overcome.
During the course of the first three years $5,000 of outside capital was invested and an equal amount earned in the business. He also cofounded the Two Rivers Coal Company in 1899.
During the course of the first three years $5,000 of outside capital was invested and an equal amount earned in the business. He also cofounded the Two Rivers Coal Company in 1899.
ALUMINUM WORLD MAGAZINE
Volumes 7-8 - Page 179
1900
PLAYING CARDS
The accompanying cut shows one of the latest products of the Aluminum Manufacturing Company of Two Rivers, Wis., namely playing cards. The cards were first made as a souvenir for the Pan American Exposition are also intended for general use and it is believed that they will become a popular novelty as prizes at euchre or whist parties and card tournaments. They compare in flexibility with those of paper and are printed in four colors and coated with an Egyptian lacquer to protect them from abrasions and scratches. The manufacturers consider them indestructible. It is said they will not soil easily can be readily cleaned and if not bent too sharply can be straightened. They are believed to more durable than those made of paper. The cards placed in an engraved aluminum case. The Aluminum Manufacturing Company feels gratified over placing this novelty on the market and has applied for patents on the method of manufacture.
Volumes 7-8 - Page 179
1900
PLAYING CARDS
The accompanying cut shows one of the latest products of the Aluminum Manufacturing Company of Two Rivers, Wis., namely playing cards. The cards were first made as a souvenir for the Pan American Exposition are also intended for general use and it is believed that they will become a popular novelty as prizes at euchre or whist parties and card tournaments. They compare in flexibility with those of paper and are printed in four colors and coated with an Egyptian lacquer to protect them from abrasions and scratches. The manufacturers consider them indestructible. It is said they will not soil easily can be readily cleaned and if not bent too sharply can be straightened. They are believed to more durable than those made of paper. The cards placed in an engraved aluminum case. The Aluminum Manufacturing Company feels gratified over placing this novelty on the market and has applied for patents on the method of manufacture.
The Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards
SX19 & O1 ALUMINUM PLAYING CARDS, Aluminum Mfg. Co., Two Rivers, WI, 1901. These cards were distributed at the Aluminum Mfg. Co.’s exhibit at the Pan American Expo. Aluminum, although a metal, has the unusual quality of being almost as light as paper. Its most serious fault is that when bent, it is nearly impossible to remove the creases. This deck came in a special aluminum case.
SX19 & O1 ALUMINUM PLAYING CARDS, Aluminum Mfg. Co., Two Rivers, WI, 1901. These cards were distributed at the Aluminum Mfg. Co.’s exhibit at the Pan American Expo. Aluminum, although a metal, has the unusual quality of being almost as light as paper. Its most serious fault is that when bent, it is nearly impossible to remove the creases. This deck came in a special aluminum case.
Pan American Expo Joker and Card Back
The aluminum card case use was not new. Joseph had seen one at the 1893 Columbian Exposition. In 1896 the National Blank Company, of Cincinnati, advertised they were about to make an aluminum case for a Treasury deck made by the United States Playing Card Company. Also, around 1895, a case for a deck of Perfection playing cards MAY have been made. This is mentioned in an undocumented statement in a history about aluminum. Either one of these would be a great find.
Joseph's next aluminum card deck and aluminum case was for the Fifth Annual Masquerade of the Calumet Club in Racine, Wisconsin. in 1902. The Encyclopedia of American Playing Cards incorrectly states the date as 1901.
SX19a ALUMINUM PLAYING CARDS. 1901. The same deck as SX19 but with a special back for the Fifth Annual Masquerade of the Calumet Club in Racine, Wis. The Joker is also pictured. The deck, in its aluminum case, came inside a special red cardboard box. Lakeside Auditorium burned down in 1919
SX19a ALUMINUM PLAYING CARDS. 1901. The same deck as SX19 but with a special back for the Fifth Annual Masquerade of the Calumet Club in Racine, Wis. The Joker is also pictured. The deck, in its aluminum case, came inside a special red cardboard box. Lakeside Auditorium burned down in 1919
1902 Newspaper Article and Card Back
His third, and last known, aluminum deck and case was for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.
SX20 ALUMINUM PLAYING CARDS, Aluminum Mfg. Co., Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 1904. This deck was made for the St. Louis World’s Fair. The backs feature a circular portrait of Thomas Jefferson and the words “World’s Fair, St. Louis, USA 1904”. The face of each card shows a different sketch of a scene at the fair. It was issued in a special aluminum case inscribed as a souvenir of the fair.
SX20 ALUMINUM PLAYING CARDS, Aluminum Mfg. Co., Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 1904. This deck was made for the St. Louis World’s Fair. The backs feature a circular portrait of Thomas Jefferson and the words “World’s Fair, St. Louis, USA 1904”. The face of each card shows a different sketch of a scene at the fair. It was issued in a special aluminum case inscribed as a souvenir of the fair.
1904 St. Louis World's Fair Joker & Card Back
Joseph quit making aluminum cards after this and concentrated on his business. In 1905 he expanded and co-founded The Wisconsin Automobile Supply Company. They provided tires, repairs and accessories so that automobile owners would not have to order them from Milwaukee or Chicago.
In 1909 he consolidated with the Aluminum Novelty Company and the New Jersey Aluminum Company into the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company of which he was made vice president. The company received its first government contract in 1911, winning an $80,000 (over $2 million today) contract to build aluminum canteens developed by Joseph for the military. Koening filed for a patent in April 1911 and was granted patent US1062716 in May 1913 for this well known item.
By 1914, the company reported that its employment was over 400 and building space had grown to almost 90,000 square feet. In 1915 the company acquired the facilities of the Standard Aluminum Company, another manufacturer in Two Rivers. For the next two years the company concentrated on the production of cooking utensils.
In 1909 he consolidated with the Aluminum Novelty Company and the New Jersey Aluminum Company into the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company of which he was made vice president. The company received its first government contract in 1911, winning an $80,000 (over $2 million today) contract to build aluminum canteens developed by Joseph for the military. Koening filed for a patent in April 1911 and was granted patent US1062716 in May 1913 for this well known item.
By 1914, the company reported that its employment was over 400 and building space had grown to almost 90,000 square feet. In 1915 the company acquired the facilities of the Standard Aluminum Company, another manufacturer in Two Rivers. For the next two years the company concentrated on the production of cooking utensils.
The company continued to grow and increased its capital to $12 million by 1920. During World War II, the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Co. retooled its factories to make aluminum products for the military. After the war, the company began to produce aluminum toys, including the popular Sno-Coaster saucer sled, and the company changed its name to the Mirro Aluminum Company. The company started making 16-foot aluminum boats under the Mirro-Craft name in 1958, and in 1971 it acquired Cruisers Inc. of Oconto, Wisconsin, which made fiberglass boats. At its peak, Mirro was the largest manufacturer of cooking utensils in the world, with eight plants in three states and products ranging from pots and pans to small boats and aluminum siding. The company sold of its boat business in 1982.
Joseph also went on to co-found the Metal Ware Corporation in 1920. This company is still operating and is current owner of the NESCO brand.
In later years Koenig became interested in the manufacture of electric toys and similar articles. Joseph was an early example of a technophile. He owned the first practical automobile in Manitowoc County and in 1922 owned the first practical radiophone.
Held also held over 50 patents. Such as;
U.S. Patent 739,324 - Fish-net float - 1903
U.S. Patent 1,111,840 - Internal-combustion engine - 1914
U.S. Patent 1,436,316 - Match box and ash tray for automobiles - 21 November 1922
U.S. Patent 1,541,414 - Electrically Heated percolator - 9 June 1923
U.S. Patent 1,596,543 - Hot-air engine - 17 August 1926
U.S. Patent 1,600,733 - Toy turbine engine - 21 September 1926
Joseph also went on to co-found the Metal Ware Corporation in 1920. This company is still operating and is current owner of the NESCO brand.
In later years Koenig became interested in the manufacture of electric toys and similar articles. Joseph was an early example of a technophile. He owned the first practical automobile in Manitowoc County and in 1922 owned the first practical radiophone.
Held also held over 50 patents. Such as;
U.S. Patent 739,324 - Fish-net float - 1903
U.S. Patent 1,111,840 - Internal-combustion engine - 1914
U.S. Patent 1,436,316 - Match box and ash tray for automobiles - 21 November 1922
U.S. Patent 1,541,414 - Electrically Heated percolator - 9 June 1923
U.S. Patent 1,596,543 - Hot-air engine - 17 August 1926
U.S. Patent 1,600,733 - Toy turbine engine - 21 September 1926
Mr. Koenig served for years as a member of the school board at Two Rivers and was also a member of the Masons, Elks and the Lakeside Country club. When the Two Rivers School system opened a new grade school in 1931 it was named the Joseph Koenig School.
November 15, 1929
DEATH CLAIMS JOSEPH KOENIG
WIDELY KNOWN RESIDENT OF CITY PASSES AWAY AFTER BRIEF ILLNESS
Founder of the Aluminum Industry In This Section Is Summoned While A Patient At Hospital-
Family In Germany As End Comes
Death, which came to him after an illness of short duration, claimed Joseph Koenig, widely known resident of the city, formerly a resident at Two Rivers, this afternoon, news of his demise coming as a great shock to the community as Mr. Koenig had been ill but a short time.
He suffered an attack of pleurisy and it was only two or three days ago that he felt well enough to leave the hospital after being there but two days and came down to his old haunts at the Elks Club. In response to anxious inquiries of friends at that time he stated that he felt well enough except for the fact that he was weak and suffered from exhaustion. He did not look like his old self and remained down town only a short time and again took recourse to hospital treatment. His condition became alarming last evening and the end came shortly after noon today.
Mr. Koenig's death came while his family, with exception of his son Remus Koenig, was abroad, Mrs. Koenig, a daughter-Mrs. Ruby Ellis and a granddaughter, Barbara Ellis, having departed some time ago for a tour of Europe and are now believed to be at Dueseldorf, Germany. A letter received from the party Oct. 31 said that at that time they were at Choburg, but that future letters should be addressed to Dueseldorf until furter notice. A cable has been dispatched informing Mrs. Koenig and daughter of the death of husband and father.
Special thanks to fellow playing card collector Rocco D'Eugenio for this story idea.