Waterloo Region Generations
A record of the people of Waterloo Region, Ontario.
Home Search  
Print Bookmark
Mayor - Warden Louis Jacob Breithaupt

Mayor - Warden Louis Jacob Breithaupt[1, 2]

Male 1855 - 1939  (84 years)

Personal Information    |    Media    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Louis Jacob Breithaupt 
    Prefix Mayor - Warden 
    Immigration 1855  , Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Born 3 Mar 1855  Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11] 
    Gender Male 
    Business Breithaupt Leather 
    Business-EagleTannery-0001-1925InsuranceMap.JPG    		 Business-EagleTannery-0001-1925InsuranceMap.JPG
    1925 Insurance Map
    Immigration 1861  , Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Residence 1871  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [8] 
    Evang. Assoc. 
    Historic Building 1874  108 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [12] 
    Sonneck House 
    • Named "Sonneck" this house was built in 1874 as a leased residence by Louis Brethaupt. Two stories and made of brick it is one of the last homes in Kitchener, owned by Louis Breithaupt's eldest son, Louis Jacob and was purchased upon his marriage. Strong Italianate features reflect Breihaupt's American architectural background. It contained some of best stained glass in the city. In 1978 it was recorded as being in very poor condition.
    Naturalization 1875  , Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Occupation 1881  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 
    Manager 
    Louis Breithaupt Trannery 1884- Envelope    		 Louis Breithaupt Trannery 1884- Envelope
    Occupation 1881  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [6] 
    tanner and leather merchant 
    Kitchener-LouisBreithauptandCo.-0002-TradeCard-facebook2017.jpg    		 Kitchener-LouisBreithauptandCo.-0002-TradeCard-facebook2017.jpg
    Residence 1881  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [7] 
    Evangelist 
    Elected Office 1882  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [13] 
    councillor, Deputy Reeve, Reeve, Warden 
    • Municipality Berlin; 1st Div
      Years on local council: Councillor 1882-83 ; D Reeve 1885-86; Reeve 1887; Mayor 1888-89
      Years on Waterloo County Council: 1885 1886 1887 1897 1898 Warden 1899 1900
    Occupation 1891  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [10] 
    Farmer 
    Residence 1891  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [10] 
    Evangelical 
    Occupation 1901  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [5] 
    Tanner - Eagle Tannery 
    Eagle Tannery    		 Eagle Tannery
    image from Busy Berlin 1897
    Business 1906  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [14] 
    Breithaupt Leather Co. 
    Public Service 1906  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Council of the Baord of Trade 
    From: Berlin Today 1806-1906    		 From: Berlin Today 1806-1906
    Occupation 1911  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Manufacturer, Leather 
    Residence 1911  108 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Residence 1911  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [9] 
    Evangelical 
    Employer 1912  Ecomonical Fire Insurance Company, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [15] 
    director of Economical Fire Insurance Company 
    Nationality , Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Name L. J. Breithaupt 
    Occupation 1921  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Tanner, ? Leather 
    Residence 166 Adam Street, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Residence 1921  108 Queen St. N., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Residence 1921  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [3] 
    Zion Evangelical 
    Eby ID Number 00030-2327.1 
    Died 6 Mar 1939  Saint Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  [4, 11] 
    Buried Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [4, 11] 
    Person ID I12689  Generations
    Last Modified 3 Mar 2025 

    Father Mayor Philip Ludwig "Louis" Breithaupt,   b. 8 Nov 1827, Allendorf, Kurhessen, Germany Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 3 Jul 1880, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 52 years) 
    Mother Catharine Hailer,   b. 16 Aug 1834, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 5 Jul 1910, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 75 years) 
    Married 8 Feb 1853  Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  [16, 17] 
    Family ID F13816  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Emma Alvarena Devitt,   b. 16 Oct 1860, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 12 Jun 1925, Belmont, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 64 years) 
    Married Apr 1881  [10] 
    Children 
     1. Louise Evaline "Evaline" Breithaupt,   b. 11 Jun 1882, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 20 Oct 1939, Hamilton, Wentworth Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 57 years)
     2. Emma Lillian "Lillian" Breithaupt,   b. 28 May 1884, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 9 Sep 1951, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 67 years)
     3. Martha Edna "Edna" Breithaupt,   b. 26 Jul 1885, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 13 Apr 1963  (Age 77 years)
     4. Rosa Melvina "Rose" Breithaupt,   b. 19 Jun 1888, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     5. Lt. Gov. - Mayor Louis Orville Breithaupt,   b. 28 Oct 1890, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Dec 1960, Toronto, York Co., Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 70 years)
     6. William Walter Breithaupt,   b. 7 Jun 1894, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 7 Jan 1977  (Age 82 years)
     7. Catherine Olive Breithaupt,   b. 28 Jan 1896, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Yes, date unknown
     8. Paul Theodore Breithaupt,   b. 9 Sep 1903, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1961  (Age 57 years)
    Last Modified 4 Mar 2025 
    Family ID F3513  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Photos
    Louis Jacob Breithaupt    		Louis Jacob Breithaupt
    from Ancestry.com 2010
    Louis J. Breithaupt, Mayor 188-1889    		Louis J. Breithaupt, Mayor 188-1889
    Image from: Berlin Celebration of Cityhood 1912

  • Notes 
    • Louis J. Breithaupt, Mayor 1888-9.

      Mr. Louis J. Breithaupt, eldest son of the late Louis Breithaupt occupied the mayor's chair with acceptance in 1888-1889. Previous to gaining this honor, he served as councillor, deputy-reeve and reeve. For some years he was a member of the county council and during the time, was chosen warden of the county. During his public career, he has served on the School Board, of which he became chairman. Also was a member of the Local Legislature in 1900-2. As mayor his policy was: Economy with Progress. He is a director of both the Economical Fire Insurance Co. and the Mutual Life Ass. Co. of Canada. Mr. Breithaupt is an useful citizen.

      Official souvenir of the celebration of cityhood, July 17th 1912, Berlin, Ontario, The German Printing and Publishing Co

      _____________________

      LOUIS JACOB BREITHAUPT.

      Louis Jacob Breithaupt, whose business history forms an integral chapter in the commercial and industrial development of Berlin, was born in Buffalo, New York, March 3, 1855, his parents being Louis and Catherine (Hailer) Breithaupt. The father, a native of Hessen, Germany, brought his family from the United States to Canada during the early boyhood of his eldest son, Louis J. Breithaupt, who was educated at Berlin and Toronto, after which he joined his father in business in the former city, learning the trade of a tanner. He was subsequently at different times salesman, bookkeeper and commercial traveler for the house, and upon the death of his father in 1880 he became a member and acting manager of the firm of Louis Breithaupt & Company. In 1890 the business was re-organized as a joint stock company, under the style of The Breithaupt Leather Company, Limited, having extensive tanneries at Berlin, Penetanguishene and Listowel, with head offices at Berlin. Mr. Breithaupt is now president of the company, which is operating extensively in the tanning business and as dealers in leather, being one of the largest houses of its kind in Canada. The trade has been developed along substantial and healthful lines, through a ready recognition of conditions in the business world, through close application and through unfaltering perseverance. The enterprise was established on a safe, conservative basis, and in the conduct of the business most systematic methods are followed, while the relations with the patrons are based upon a high standard of commercial ethics.

      While the tanning and leather business occupies most of Mr. Breithaupt 's time and attention, he has also extended his efforts to other fields of activity and is now president of the Ontario Bark Company, Limited, while in former years he was president of the Berlin Gas, Electric Light & Power Company. He was also formerly connected with the Berlin & Waterloo Street Railway Co., and is now a director of the Berlin & Bridgeport Street Railway Co. He was formerly first vice-president of The Berlin Rubber Co., Limited, and has been for many years a director of the Economical Fire Insurance Co. of Berlin ; is president of the North Waterloo Agricultural Society.

      The city has benefited by interests which have been promoted by him aside from those of a strictly business character. He has been chairman of the Berlin school board, and the cause of education has found in him a stalwart champion, and he is now chairman of the German School Society of Berlin. Although politically somewhat independent, believing that on general principles the interests of the country should precede that of any party, he represented the riding of North Waterloo in the Ontario Legislature as a supporter of the Liberal government from the year 1900 to 1902. He was likewise president of the Berlin Board of Trade and is a member of the Park Board, of which he is now the chairman, and of which board he has been a member continually since its inception in 1893. No movement or measure for the welfare and progress of the city along material, intellectual and moral lines fails to receive his endorsement and co-operation. He was for several years president of the Young Men's Christian Association and was one of the first trustees of the Berlin-Waterloo Hospital, his broad humanitarianism and ready sympathy finding expression in his efforts along those lines. For a number of years he served as a member of the Waterloo county council, during the year 1898 he was warden of the county and for seven years he was a member of the Berlin town council, serving as councillor, deputy reeve and reeve, while in 1888 and 1889 he served as mayor of the city.

      In 1881 Mr. Breithaupt was married to Miss Emma Alvarene, the second daughter of Benjamin Devitt, formerly mayor of Waterloo. Their union has been blessed with a family of eight children: Evelyn, Lillian, Edna, Rose, Louis, William Walter, Catharine and Paul. Mr. Breithaupt is in religious faith connected with the Evangelical Association, and has reared his family in that belief. He has been for many years a member of the board of trustees of Zion Evangelical Church. He is a man of domestic taste, devoted to the welfare and happiness of his wife and children, and in citizenship he stands for all that is progressive and beneficial, and in business life for all that is honorable. He has been to a great extent the architect of his own fortune and has builded wisely and well. A man of sound judgment, he has never arrived quickly at conclusions, but when once his mind is made up as to what is the right course nothing can deter him from pursuing it. He possesses excellent executive and business ability, combined with a resistless energy and resolute purpose, and while he has gained a handsome competence he has never selfishly used this for his own interests only, but has done what he could to promote the welfare of the city and to ameliorate hard conditions of life for the unfortunate. He recognizes fully man's obligation to his fellowmen and throughout his life has been actuated by high and honorable principles.

      A History of Ontario: its resources and development

      ______________________

      LOUIS J. BREITHAUPT, Berlin, Ont., was born in 1855 in Buffalo, N.Y., from whence he came to Canada. His father was very prominent in business and municipal circles, and mayor of Berlin at the time of his death in 1880. Mr. Breithaupt was married in 1881 to Emma Alvarene, daughter of ex-Mayor Devitt, of Waterloo, Ont. He was educated at Berlin and Toronto, and is now engaged in the tanning business, (which trade he learnt practically), being president of the Breithaupt Leather Company Limited, who have extensive establishments in Berlin and Penetanguishene, Ont. He was seven years a member of the town Council, three years in the County Council, and two years mayor--being the youngest mayor Berlin has had. He is president of the Ontario Bark Company Limited, of the Berlin Gas Company, and is also connected with other manufacturing enterprises in Berlin. He is a school trustee, and has recently been unanimously elected president of the Board of Trade. Mr. Breithaupt is an active member of the German Evangelical Church, and is ever ready to promote its welfare.

      The Canadian Album - Men of Canada or Success by Example (Brantford, Ontario, Canada: Bradley Garretson & Co., 1891)

      ___________________


      In Death Of L.J. Breithaupt - Kitchener - Former mayor, reeve and deputy reeve of Berlin, now Kitchener, and former M.L.A. for North Waterloo, Louis J. Breithaupt passed away at St. Petersburg, Fla., early Monday Morning. Mr. Breithaupt, who only a few days ago, celebrated his 84th birthday, was president of the Breithaupt Leather Co., for many years. His death came as the result of bronchial pneumonia which he contracted, shortly after fracturing his arm in a fall about three weeks ago. He had spent the winter in Florida. In addition to being active in philanthropic and political fields, the deceased was a leader in Board of Trade operations, being a former president of the organization, here. Mr. Breithaupt spent many years as a member of the Toronto Board of Trade, and for some time was president of the tanners section of that body. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1855, he was a son of the late Louis Breithaupt, who was the fourth mayor of Berlin. His mother was the former Catherine Hailer. His own civic career advanced rapidly, and in 1888, at the age of 33, he served as mayor of Berlin. He was again chief magistrate in the following year. In 1900, he was elected to represent the constituency of North Waterloo in the Legislature, running on a Liberal ticket, and retired from that position in 1903. Mr. Breithaupt was Warden of Waterloo County in 1989. His long service in civic affairs included terms as chairman of the board of park management, chairman of the public school board, president of the Kitchener Y.M.C.A., member of the first Kitchener-Waterloo hospital board. During the Great War, he served as president of the Patriotic Fund. Mr. Breithaupt is survived by three sons and five daughters, former Mayor L.O. Breithaupt, managing director of the Breithaupt Leather Co., and president of the Kitchener board of trade; William Breithaupt, Breithaupt, both of Toronto; Mrs. J. R. Parry, Hamilton, the Misses E. Lillian Breithaupt and Edna Breithaupt at home, Mrs. H. S. Clark, Scarboro, and Mrs. A. V. Bennett, Fitchburg, Mass. Also surviving are three brothers W. H. Breithaupt, John C. Breithaupt and A. L. Breithaupt, and two sisters, Mrs. C. Augustine and Mrs. A. Bauman, all of Kitchener. His wife predeceased him in 1925. She was the former Emma Devitt.

      The Waterloo Chronicle Mar 10 1939 pg 3

  • Sources 
    1. [S3] Book - Vol I A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and other townships of the county : being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin..., 528.

    2. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 30 Jan 1896.
      28 Jan 1896 The wife of Louis L. Breithaupt, in Berlin, a daughter.

    3. [S2264] Census - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - 1921, Sub Dist. 25 Page 5.

    4. [S166] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Mount Hope CC#4508 Internet Link .
      Breithaupt A. M. Edna / Breithaupt / July 26, 1885 / Apr. 13, 1963 / Edna B. Louis Jacob / Breithaupt / March 3, 1855 / May 6, 1939 / father C. Emma Alvarene / Devitt / beloved wife of / Louis J. Breithaupt / October 17, 1860 / June 12, 1925 / mother / Emma Lillian / Breithaupt / May 28, 1884 / Sept. 9,1951

    5. [S137] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1901, Berlin (Town/Ville) A-4 Page 6.

    6. [S4] Vit - ON - Marriage Registration.
      J Breithaupt Born: Buffalo New York Age: 26 Born: abt 1855 Father: Lewis Breithaupt Mother: Catharine Breithaupt Spouse: Emma Alvarine Devitt Age: 20 Born: abt 1861 born: Waterloo Father: Benjamin Devitt Mother: Nancy Devitt married 5 Apr 1881 married: Waterloo, Waterloo

    7. [S158] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1881, Div. 2 Pg. 51.

    8. [S229] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1871, Div. 1, Pg. 54.

    9. [S340] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1911, Div. 38 Page 3.

    10. [S1592] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1891, Section 2 Page 5.

    11. [S3231] Find A Grave, Cemetery, M., America, N., Municipality, W., & Cemetery, M. (1855). Louis Jacob Breithaupt (1855-1939) - Find A Grave... Retrieved 12 May 2020, from https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10078411/louis-jacob-breithaupt.

    12. [S872] Book - Historic Building Inventory - Kitchener.

    13. [S1450] Waterloo County Councillors A Collective Biography.

    14. [S2481] Annual Report of the Board of Trade of the Town of Berlin, Twenty-First.

    15. [S1775] Berlin: Celebration of Cityhood.

    16. [S107] Book - The Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery of Eminent and Self-Made Men, Ontario Volume, 1880.

    17. [S244] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Deutsche Canadier (1841-1865) - Index to Births, Deaths and Marriages Announced in the Deutsche Canadier, Berlin, Canada West. originally indexed by Simone Nieuwolt and Sylvie Kuppek..organised by Rosemary Ambrose.
      BREIHAUPT, Louis married 8 Feb 1853 Of Buffalo. To Catharina HAILER, Berlin. minister Uilhelm Schmitt newspaper date 10 Feb 1853 Pg: 6

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - 1855 - , Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBorn - 3 Mar 1855 - Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsImmigration - 1861 - , Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Evang. Assoc. - 1871 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsHistoric Building - Sonneck House - 1874 - 108 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsNaturalization - 1875 - , Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Manager - 1881 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - tanner and leather merchant - 1881 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Evangelist - 1881 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsElected Office - councillor, Deputy Reeve, Reeve, Warden - 1882 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Farmer - 1891 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Evangelical - 1891 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Tanner - Eagle Tannery - 1901 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBusiness - Breithaupt Leather Co. - 1906 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsPublic Service - Council of the Baord of Trade - 1906 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Manufacturer, Leather - 1911 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - 1911 - 108 Queen Street North, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Evangelical - 1911 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsEmployer - director of Economical Fire Insurance Company - 1912 - Ecomonical Fire Insurance Company, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsNationality - - , Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsOccupation - Tanner, ? Leather - 1921 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - - 166 Adam Street, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsResidence - Zion Evangelical - 1921 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDied - 6 Mar 1939 - Saint Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBuried - - Mount Hope Cemetery, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 


This site powered by The Next Generation of Genealogy Sitebuilding ©, v. 12.0.1, written by Darrin Lythgoe 2001-2025.