William Plankinton (November 7, 1843 – March 29, 1905) was an American businessman, manufacturer, and industrialist. He followed in his father's footsteps in the meat packing and meat processing industry. As a businessman he was associated with the Milwaukee museum, public library, industrial exposition and Chamber of Commerce. He was also a banker.
William Plankinton | |
|---|---|
 Plankinton c. 1905 | |
| Born | November 7, 1843 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | March 29, 1905 (aged 61) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman and industrialist |
| Spouse | Mary Ella Woods |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | John Plankinton Elizabeth Bracken Plankinton |
| Relatives | Elizabeth Plankinton (sister) |
Early life
Plankinton was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, on November 7, 1843.[1] He was the son of John Plankinton and Elizabeth Bracken Plankinton. While he was still a baby his parents moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory. He received his early education in the Milwaukee public schools. After graduating from high school he attended a college in Milwaukee.[2][3]
Career
Plankinton was employed by his father after he graduated from the Milwaukee college. He soon became a partner in his father's pork and beef packing company. He helped to establish branches in Chicago, Kansas City and New York.[2][3] The firm became known in 1893 as the Plankinton Packing Company when the Cudahy brothers moved their operations south to a site just outside of Milwaukee.[4] Plankinton's main competitors were the meat packing companies of Chicago.[5]
Plankinton helped found and organize several companies, including the Milwaukee-based Plankinton Light and Power Company and the Johnson Electric Company.[6] He founded and was part owner of the Western Portland Cement company in Yankton, South Dakota. Plankinton held several public offices and was a director of the Milwaukee museum, the city public library, and the Milwaukee industrial exposition. He was also associated with Layton art gallery and the local Chamber of Commerce.[2][3][7]
Plankinton became vice-president of the Plankinton Bank in 1891 upon his father's death.[8] He was involved with settling the affairs when the bank failed in 1893.[9][10][11] Loans made to Frank A. Lappen and his companies totaling almost $300,000 precipitated the crisis.[12] The bank crisis involved a scandal of fraud and embezzlement of which he was implicated and sued.[13][14][15]
Personal
On 26 April 1876, he married Mary Ella Woods, of Cincinnati, Ohio, and they had two children.[2][3] He lived next door to his father in a mansion on Grand Avenue in Milwaukee given to him by his father as a wedding gift.[16][17]
Later life and death
Plankinton died in Milwaukee on April 29, 1905.[3][18] The cause of his death was pneumonia, which he had suffered from for three months prior.[19][20][21] Plankinton left an estate valued at approximately $4 million to his heirs.[22][23] His widowed wife received a third and his children split the remainder in equal shares that included the widow.[24] She died September 7, 1908.[25]
References
- ^ Historical Society 1906, p. 139.
- ^ a b c d Watrous 1909, p. 20.
- ^ a b c d e Wilson, Fiske & Dick 1915, p. 997.
- ^ Apps 2015, p. 210.
- ^ Bowman 1948, p. 175.
- ^ "Looks Like Big Electric Deal". Vernon County Censor. Viroqua, Wisconsin. December 5, 1906. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Brief biography of John Plankinton, a meat packer and businessman". Historical Essay of Plankinton, John (1820–1891). Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ^ "CLOSED ITS DOORS". Wichita Beacon. Wichita, Kansas. June 1, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Finally Succumbed". Sedalia Weekly Bazoo. Sedali,Missouri. June 6, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Many Indicted". Logansport Reporter. Logansport, Indiana. July 13, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Bank Failure / The Plankinton Bank at Milwaukee Suspends". Parsons Daily Sun. Parsons, Kansas. June 2, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "The Big Bank Closed / The Plankinton Institution Fails at Milwaukee". Scranton Republican. Scranton, Pennsylvania. June 2, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "A Judge at the bar". Montreal River Miner and Iron County Republican. Hurley, Wisconsin. July 22, 1893 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "To arrest F.T. Day". Portage Daily Democrat. Portage, Wisconsin. September 26, 1894 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Plankinton sued". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. August 9, 1899 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Buck 1890, pp. 178–179.
- ^ "Exterior view of the main entrance to the William Plankinton Mansion while it served as Marquette University's Athletic Ticket Office, circa 1945". Raynor Memorial Libraries. Marquette University. 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
- ^ Chilton 1905, p. 1608.
- ^ "The News in Brief". Marengo Republican-News. Marengo, Illinois. May 5, 1905 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Latest News in Brief". The Tiller and Toiler. Learned, Kansas. May 5, 1905 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Deaths of the Day". Los Angeles Herald. Los Angeles, California. April 30, 1905 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ West 1918, p. 18.
- ^ "Plankinton Engaged to Milwaukee Girl". The Racine Journal-Times. Racine, Wisconsin. April 29, 1936 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Wm. Plankinton has left no will". The La Crosse. La Crosse, Wisconsin. May 3, 190 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Mrs Plankinton Dead". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay, Wisconsin. September 8, 1908 – via Newspapers.com .
Sources
- Apps, Jerry (17 August 2015). Wisconsin Agriculture: A History. Wisconsin Historical Society Press. ISBN 978-0-87020-725-9.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Bowman, Francis Favill (1948). Why Wisconsin. F.F. Bowman.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Buck, James Smith (1890). Pioneer History of Milwaukee.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Chilton (1905). The Iron Age. Chilton Company.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Historical Society (1906). Society at Its 34th Annual Meeting Proceedings. State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Watrous, Jerome A. (1909). Memoirs of Milwaukee County. Western Historical Association. p. 20.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - West (1918). The Northwestern Reporter. West Publishing Company.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John; Dick, Charles (1915). Encyclopedia of American Biography. Press Association Compilers.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)