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{{short description|American politician}}
[[Image:Emil Preetorius.png|thumb|Emil Preetorius]]
{{for|the German illustrator and graphic artist|Emil Preetorius (visual artist)}}
'''Emil Preetorius''' (15 March 1827 [[Alzey]] - 19 November 1905) was the “[[Nestor (mythology)|Nestor]]” of the [[German American]] press in the second half of the 19th century.


{{Infobox officeholder
⚫
He attended [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasiums]] at [[Mainz]] and [[Darmstadt]], and then the Universities of [[University of Giessen|Giessen]] and [[University of Heidelberg|Heidelberg]]. He graduated from Heidelberg as [[Doctor of Laws]] in 1848. He began the practice of law with considerable success, but in consequence of having participated in the revolutionary movements of 1848, he was obligated to leave Germany in 1850.
|image=Emil Preetorius.png
| office = Member of the [[Missouri House of Representatives]]
| district =
| term_start = 1862
| term_end = 1864
|birth_date = {{birth date|1827|3|15}}
|birth_place = [[Alzey]], [[German Confederation]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1905|11|19|1827|3|15}}
|death_place = [[St. Louis]], [[Missouri]]
| death_cause =
| monuments =
| residence =
| nationality =
| other_names =
| party = [[Radical Republicans|Radical Republican]]
| alma_mater = [[Heidelberg University]]
| occupation = Journalist, lawyer, activist
| known_for =
| religion =
| spouse = Magdalena Schmidt
| children = 2
| parents =
| relatives =
}}
'''Emil Preetorius''' (15 March 1827 – 19 November 1905) was a 19th-century journalist from [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]]. He was a leader of the [[German American]] community as part owner and editor of the ''[[Westliche Post]]'', one of the most notable and well-circulated German-language newspapers in the United States.<ref>Saalberg, 1968</ref>


==Biography==
⚫
Dr. Preetorius arrived in [[St. Louis]] in 1854, and engaged for awhile in mercantile pursuits. When the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] broke out, he devoted his time and means to organizing German regiments and sending them to the field. In 1862, he was elected to the [[Missouri]] state legislature on the radical emancipation ticket, and positioned himself as an &ldquo;immediate emancipationist.&rdquo; In 1864, he resumed business pursuits, became editor of the ''[[Westliche Post]]'', and took an active part in the presidential campaign. In 1872 he identified himself with the [[Liberal Republican]]s. Preetorius was a crisp, clear writer, and a logical and convincing speaker. His lectures on aesthetics, philosophy and history attracted much attention, not only among Germans, but among speakers of English as well. His direction placed the ''Westliche Post'' in the front rank of American journalism.
⚫
He was born in [[Alzey]], then part of the [[German Confederation]], and attended [[Gymnasium (school)|gymnasiums]] at [[Mainz]] and [[Darmstadt]], and then the Universities of [[University of Giessen|Giessen]] and [[University of Heidelberg|Heidelberg]]. He graduated from Heidelberg in 1848. He began the practice of law with considerable success, but in consequence of having participated in the revolutionary movements of 1848, he was obligated to leave Germany in 1850.


⚫
Preetorius arrived in [[St. Louis]] in 1854, and engaged for a while in mercantile pursuits. When the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] broke out in 1861, he devoted his time and means to organizing German regiments and sending them to the field. In 1862, he was elected to the Missouri state legislature on the radical emancipation ticket, and positioned himself as an "immediate emancipationist". In 1864, he resumed business pursuits, became editor of the ''[[Westliche Post]]'', and took an active part in the presidential campaign. In 1872, he identified himself with the [[Liberal Republican Party (United States)|Liberal Republican]]s. Preetorius was a crisp, clear writer, and a logical and convincing speaker. His lectures on aesthetics, philosophy and history attracted much attention, not only among Germans, but among English speakers as well. His direction placed the ''Westliche Post'' in the front rank of American journalism.<ref>Saalberg, 1968</ref>
==References==
⚫
* J. Thomas Scharf, ''History of St. Louis'' etc. (2 vols.), Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883, v. I, p. 942.
⚫
* {{Cite DAB|Preetorius, Emil|volume=VIII, Part 1|year=1963|pages=185}}


When the ''Westliche Post'' merged with the ''[[Anzeiger des Westens]]'' in 1898, he and Carl Daenzer, the latter the editor of the ''Anzeiger'', both retired. Preetorius died at his home at 2013 Park Avenue in St. Louis. The year before his death, influenced by his son, Edward L. Preetorius, he had refused a decoration from Kaiser [[Wilhelm II of Germany]]. He had also refused decorations from the Kaiser in years past. He never went back to Germany saying that when he would have gone back he could not, and when he could have gone back, he would not.
{{journalist-stub}}

==See also==
* [[Forty-Eighters]]
* [[German American journalism]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Saalberg, Harvey. "Dr. Emil Preetorius, Editor-in-Chief Of The 'Westliche Post' 1864-1905," ''Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society'' (1968) 24#2 pp 103–112.
⚫
* J. Thomas Scharf, ''History of St. Louis'' etc. (2 vols.), Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883, v. I, p.&nbsp;942.
⚫
* {{Cite DAB|title=Preetorius, Emil|volume=VIII, Part 1|year=1963|pages=185}}
* [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F04E6DC143DE733A25753C2A9679D946497D6CF Obituary] from [[The New York Times]]

[[Image:Naked Truth.jpg|thumb|''The Naked Truth'', unveiled in 1914, was a gift to the city of St. Louis by the German-American Alliance in honor of Carl Schurz, Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer, editors of the ''Westliche Post''. (sculptor [[:de:Wilhelm Wandschneider|Wandschneider]])]]
* {{Cite encyclopedia|author=Lawrence O. Christensen|encyclopedia=Dictionary of Missouri biography|title=Emil Preetorius|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6gyxWHRLAWgC&pg=PA624|page=624|year=1999|publisher=[[University of Missouri Press]]|isbn=9780826260161}}

{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Preetorius, Emil}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preetorius, Emil}}
[[Category:1827 births]]
[[Category:1827 births]]
[[Category:1905 deaths]]
[[Category:1905 deaths]]
[[Category:Lecturers]]
[[Category:People from Alzey]]
[[Category:American journalists]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]
[[Category:Forty-Eighters]]
[[Category:German-American Forty-Eighters]]
[[Category:German immigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United States]]
[[Category:University of Giessen alumni]]
[[Category:University of Giessen alumni]]
[[Category:University of Heidelberg alumni]]
[[Category:Heidelberg University alumni]]
[[Category:Missouri Liberal Republicans]]
[[Category:Politicians from Rhenish Hesse]]
[[Category:Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Publishers (people) of German-language newspapers in the United States]]
[[Category:19th-century members of the Missouri General Assembly]]

Latest revision as of 18:11, 25 December 2024

For the German illustrator and graphic artist, see Emil Preetorius (visual artist).
Emil Preetorius
Member of the Missouri House of Representatives
In office
1862–1864
Personal details
Born(1827-03-15)March 15, 1827
Alzey, German Confederation
DiedNovember 19, 1905(1905-11-19) (aged 78)
St. Louis, Missouri
Political partyRadical Republican
SpouseMagdalena Schmidt
Children2
Alma materHeidelberg University
OccupationJournalist, lawyer, activist

Emil Preetorius (15 March 1827 – 19 November 1905) was a 19th-century journalist from St. Louis. He was a leader of the German American community as part owner and editor of the Westliche Post, one of the most notable and well-circulated German-language newspapers in the United States.[1]

Biography

[edit]

He was born in Alzey, then part of the German Confederation, and attended gymnasiums at Mainz and Darmstadt, and then the Universities of Giessen and Heidelberg. He graduated from Heidelberg in 1848. He began the practice of law with considerable success, but in consequence of having participated in the revolutionary movements of 1848, he was obligated to leave Germany in 1850.

Preetorius arrived in St. Louis in 1854, and engaged for a while in mercantile pursuits. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, he devoted his time and means to organizing German regiments and sending them to the field. In 1862, he was elected to the Missouri state legislature on the radical emancipation ticket, and positioned himself as an "immediate emancipationist". In 1864, he resumed business pursuits, became editor of the Westliche Post, and took an active part in the presidential campaign. In 1872, he identified himself with the Liberal Republicans. Preetorius was a crisp, clear writer, and a logical and convincing speaker. His lectures on aesthetics, philosophy and history attracted much attention, not only among Germans, but among English speakers as well. His direction placed the Westliche Post in the front rank of American journalism.[2]

When the Westliche Post merged with the Anzeiger des Westens in 1898, he and Carl Daenzer, the latter the editor of the Anzeiger, both retired. Preetorius died at his home at 2013 Park Avenue in St. Louis. The year before his death, influenced by his son, Edward L. Preetorius, he had refused a decoration from Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany. He had also refused decorations from the Kaiser in years past. He never went back to Germany saying that when he would have gone back he could not, and when he could have gone back, he would not.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Saalberg, 1968
  2. ^ Saalberg, 1968

Further reading

[edit]
  • Saalberg, Harvey. "Dr. Emil Preetorius, Editor-in-Chief Of The 'Westliche Post' 1864-1905," Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society (1968) 24#2 pp 103–112.
  • J. Thomas Scharf, History of St. Louis etc. (2 vols.), Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts & Co., 1883, v. I, p. 942.
  • "Preetorius, Emil". Dictionary of American Biography. Vol. VIII, Part 1. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. 1963. p. 185.
  • Obituary from The New York Times
The Naked Truth, unveiled in 1914, was a gift to the city of St. Louis by the German-American Alliance in honor of Carl Schurz, Emil Preetorius and Carl Daenzer, editors of the Westliche Post. (sculptor Wandschneider)
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