Augustus Kountze facts for kids

Augustus Kountze (born November 19, 1826 – died April 30, 1892) was an American businessman. He lived in Omaha, Nebraska, Kountze, Texas, and New York City. He and his brothers, Charles, Herman, and Luther, started a large banking business in the late 1800s.

In 1861, Augustus became the Treasurer for the Nebraska Territory. Later, in 1867, he was the first Treasurer for the new State of Nebraska. In 1862, US President Abraham Lincoln chose him to be on the first Board of Directors for the Union Pacific Railroad.

A Life of Business

Augustus Kountze was born in 1826 in rural Ohio. He was one of seven children. His parents were Christian and Margaret Kountze. His father, Christian, came to the U.S. from Saxony, a part of Germany. After marrying Margaret, they moved to Osnaburg, Ohio. There, Christian opened a grocery store and taught his sons about business.

In 1854, Augustus left home. He moved to Muscatine, Iowa, and then to Omaha in 1855. In Omaha, he started buying and selling land.

In Omaha, Kountze built a huge business. It included banking, real estate, and railroads. He was also the Treasurer for the Nebraska Territory and the state of Nebraska from 1861 to 1869. In 1858, he asked his Lutheran pastor to make Nebraska a mission area for the church. Because of this, the first Lutheran church service in Nebraska happened on December 5, 1858.

Banking and Real Estate

Kountze lived in Omaha until 1872. During those years, he and his brother Herman bought a lot of land. This land was along the Missouri River in places like Brownville and Nebraska City.

Augustus Kountze eventually owned a lot of land across the Midwest and Western United States. He had big land holdings in Iowa and Minnesota. Later, he invested a lot in central and western Nebraska. The two brothers also owned land in Chicago, Denver, and across East Texas. In 1868, Kountze was in charge of selling land in North Omaha. This land later became Fort Omaha.

In 1856, Augustus and Herman started Kountze Brothers Bank. Later, it became the First National Bank of Omaha. Another Omaha pioneer, Edward Creighton, became the bank's president. Kountze also helped build the First National Bank Building in Omaha.

His brothers also started banks. In 1866, Charles started the Colorado National Bank. Augustus was a senior member there. In 1868, Luther opened the Kountze Brothers Bank in New York City. Augustus was also a senior member of that bank.

Railroads

Augustus Kountze invested a lot in railroads across the western United States. He was president of the Boston, Hoosac Tunnel and Western Railroad. When it joined with the Fitchburg Railroad, he became a director there until he died.

Herman and Augustus were the main supporters of the Omaha and Northwestern Railroad. They also had an interest in the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad and the Sabine and East Texas Railway. The town of Kountze, Texas, was named after the Kountze brothers because of their railroad investments. Kountze was a Government Director for the Union Pacific. He helped make sure the Union Pacific Headquarters and other important Union Pacific buildings were in Omaha.

Sometimes, Augustus's different businesses helped each other. For example, in 1880, he wanted to finish the Sabine and East Texas Railroad. This railroad would go from Beaumont, Texas, through Sabine Pass, Texas, to Rockland, Texas. This allowed Kountze to sell the 250,000 acres (1,000 km2) of untouched timber on land he owned nearby.

In 1872, Kountze moved to New York City for good. He wanted to help with his brothers' growing banking businesses there. He was also a director of the New York Security and Trust Company.

Helping Others

In 1885, Kountze paid for the building of the Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church in Omaha. It was named after his father, Christian Kountze. Today, the church is in Downtown Omaha. He also funded a church in Ohio to honor his parents. He also helped pay for St. James Lutheran Church in New York City.

Later Life and Legacy

The monument of Augustus Kountze in Woodlawn Cemetery

Augustus Kountze died in 1892. He was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.