Today in Wheeling History: July 5--Augustus Pollack, future Wheeling industrialist and pioneering labor advocate, is born in Bünde, Westphalia, Germany (1830).
Augustus Pollack (1830–1906) was a pioneering industrialist and labor advocate whose legacy remains deeply woven into Wheeling’s civic and labor history. Born July 5, 1830, in Bünde, Westphalia, Germany, into a Jewish family, Pollack immigrated to the U.S. in 1849, settling first in Baltimore before moving to Wheeling in 1854. He launched a notions and fancy goods business and later founded Crown Stogies in 1871, which became West Virginia’s largest cigar manufacturer. His factory, spanning 18th and 19th Streets between Chapline and Eoff, was among the largest in the world.
Pollack was known for his progressive labor practices—he paid fair wages, maintained an open-door policy, and refused to sell his business to anyone who wouldn’t honor his agreements with workers. A staunch Unionist during the Civil War, he offered his Grafton property to the U.S. government and briefly served in a West Virginia regiment. He also supported Wheeling’s German-American community, helped found a German-language newspaper, and served as president of the German Bank and Fire Insurance Company.
Pollack died peacefully in his sleep on April 23, 1906. In an unprecedented tribute, labor unions raised funds to erect a monument in his honor, dedicated May 28, 1916. It now stands at Heritage Port. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/y2hnm3ub); Wheeling Hall of Fame Entry (https://tinyurl.com/m2h7b8zd), Find a Grave Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/5d7raucx), YouTube: Augustus Pollack Labor Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/3a9kt5tw), Archiving Wheeling: Buckle of the Stogie Belt (https://tinyurl.com/3nwpz33a), Historic Wheeling: Pollack Monument (https://tinyurl.com/4kdafuaw)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave
Augustus Pollack (1830–1906) was a pioneering industrialist and labor advocate whose legacy remains deeply woven into Wheeling’s civic and labor history. Born July 5, 1830, in Bünde, Westphalia, Germany, into a Jewish family, Pollack immigrated to the U.S. in 1849, settling first in Baltimore before moving to Wheeling in 1854. He launched a notions and fancy goods business and later founded Crown Stogies in 1871, which became West Virginia’s largest cigar manufacturer. His factory, spanning 18th and 19th Streets between Chapline and Eoff, was among the largest in the world.
Pollack was known for his progressive labor practices—he paid fair wages, maintained an open-door policy, and refused to sell his business to anyone who wouldn’t honor his agreements with workers. A staunch Unionist during the Civil War, he offered his Grafton property to the U.S. government and briefly served in a West Virginia regiment. He also supported Wheeling’s German-American community, helped found a German-language newspaper, and served as president of the German Bank and Fire Insurance Company.
Pollack died peacefully in his sleep on April 23, 1906. In an unprecedented tribute, labor unions raised funds to erect a monument in his honor, dedicated May 28, 1916. It now stands at Heritage Port. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Wheeling.
To learn more: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV (https://tinyurl.com/y2hnm3ub); Wheeling Hall of Fame Entry (https://tinyurl.com/m2h7b8zd), Find a Grave Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/5d7raucx), YouTube: Augustus Pollack Labor Memorial (https://tinyurl.com/3a9kt5tw), Archiving Wheeling: Buckle of the Stogie Belt (https://tinyurl.com/3nwpz33a), Historic Wheeling: Pollack Monument (https://tinyurl.com/4kdafuaw)
Photo credits: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV; Find a Grave
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