Henry Weinhard | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1830-02-18)February 18, 1830 |
| Died | September 20, 1904(1904-09-20) (aged 74) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Resting place | River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Brewer, businessman founder ofHenry Weinhard's |
| Spouse | Louisa Wagenblast |
| Children | 2 daughters |
Henry Weinhard (February 18, 1830 – September 20, 1904) was aGerman-Americanbrewer inPortland, Oregon. After immigrating to theUnited States in 1851, he lived inPhiladelphia,Cincinnati,St. Louis, andSacramento before settling in the Portland area. Weinhard worked for others in the beer business before buying his ownbrewery and foundedHenry Weinhard's and built itsbrewery complex in downtown Portland.
Born in theKingdom of Württemberg (now part ofBaden-Württemberg in southwestGermany),[1] Weinhard was raised in Lindenbronn, and later moved to nearbyStuttgart, where he was an apprentice in the brewing trade.[1] In 1851, he immigrated to the United States, landing inNew York City.[1][2] Weinhard moved toPhiladelphia where he worked for a year in the brewing business before moving west toCincinnati,Ohio.[1] After two years there, he moved southwest toSt. Louis,Missouri, where he stayed until 1856.[1] During this time in America, he worked as a brewer for others while preparing his own beer recipes.[2]
In 1856, Weinhard moved toCalifornia and settled briefly, inSacramento next year in March, he relocated toVancouver in theWashington Territory, where he began working at a brewery owned by John Meunich; and, helped him construct a new brewery.[1][2] Weinhard worked there for six months, and; then, founded a brewery with George Bottler,[3] across theColumbia River inPortland, Oregon.[2] This partnership did not last long and he sold out to Bottler and returned to working for Meunich.[2] Weinhard bought Meunich's business in 1859 and named it the Vancouver Brewery.[1][2]
In 1862, Weinhard bought the Henry Saxer Brewery in Portland and then partnered with Bottler again to build anew brewery in today'sNorthwest Portland.[1] That year he also moved permanently to Portland;[2] he sold his Vancouver operations in 1864 and bought out Bottler of his share of the business in 1866.[1] Weinhard also bought Portland's oldest brewery, the Liberty Brewery, and continued expansion of the Portland operations, then called the City Brewery.[2] By 1890, the brewery was the largest in thePacific Northwest and had grown from producing 2,000 barrels per year to 40,000 barrels that year.[1]
In 1859, Weinhard marriedLouisa Wagenblast, and they had five children; only two survived to adulthood.[1][4] AMason, he was also a member of several German societies in Portland.[1] This included helping to found the Portland German Aid Society, with other civic activities including providing funds to build a church adjacent to the brewery.[2] Other business interests outside of the brewery included stakes in thePortland Hotel, theWest Side Railway,[2] and the New Grand Central Hotel.[5] In 1887, Weinhard offered to pump free beer into theSkidmore Fountain for its dedication; the city declined the offer due to the fear of rowdy horses.[2]
Weinhard died in Portland at age 74 and was buried in itsRiver View Cemetery.[2] The brewery he built remained in operation for another 95 years, until 1999.[2][6]