Elsner, Richard, 1859-1938.Papers, 1854-1967.Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 193.2 cubic ft. (1 small archives box) |
ABSTRACT: Photocopies from a scrapbook and memoir of Richard Elsner, an early
champion of both the trade union and Socialist movements in Milwaukee. Born in Germany,
Elsner came to Milwaukee in 1880 and became a pioneer in the Brewery Worker's Union, a
veteran of the Socialist Party, an attorney, and was elected as a civil judge, register of
deeds, and a member of the Wisconsin legislature. The papers include photocopies of family
materials, writings by Elsner, miscellaneous articles, and photographs of Elsner and his
family. Also included is an undated biography of Elsner written by Charlotte Bleistein.
ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Richard Elsner was born on May 29, 1859 in Silesia, Germany. He emigrated to Milwaukee in 1880 and started as a brewery worker. Around this time he joined the Knights of Labor and held the office of Executive Board District Assembly 108. He became an officer of the Brewery Workers Union Local No. 9 and held various offices. He organized the first national boycott against a brewery and was successful in having that brewery unionized. This led to other breweries being unionized. In 1886 he was elected Justice of the Peace on the Labor ticket. That same year he married Emma Melster. He studied law in the evenings at the old Milwaukee Law School, and received his degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1910, when Emil Seidel was mayor, he was elected Civil Judge. He was elected Register of Deeds in 1918 and served for four years. One of the founders of the Commonwealth Mutual Savings Bank, he was also a Socialist member of the Wisconsin Legislature. He died on January 18, 1938 after a brief illness.
COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:
Elsner, Richard, 1859-1938. Papers, 1854-1967. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 193. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
ACQUISITION: Loaned for copying by Charlotte Bleistein of Greendale, Wisconsin on April 4, 2002 (accession number M2002-059).
PROCESSING:Collection was processed at the WHS on April 4, 2002. The finding aid was created by Leslie Heinrichs on May 24, 2002.
MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:
| MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 193 | BOX | FOLDER |
| Biographical and Miscellanous Papers, 1854, 1882, 1888, 1894, 1910-1918, 1928-1937, 1956, undated | 1 | 5 |
| Biography, undated | 1 | 9 |
| "Christ and Socialism for St. Louis," undated | 1 | 8 |
| Death, 1938-1939 | 1 | 4 |
| Freie Gemeinde of Milwaukee, 1922, 1924, 1967 | 1 | 2 |
| "The Lawyer," Transcript by Elsner, 1894 | 1 | 7 |
| Memoirs, 1897-1934, undated | 1 | 6 |
| Newspaper Clippings, 1930-1937, undated | 1 | 1 |
| Photographs, Family Portraits, Photocopies, 1877-1923 | 1 | 3 |
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Last edited on Thursday, May 24, 2002.
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