Читать книгу Memoirs of Milwaukee County, Volume 3 - Josiah Seymour Currey - Страница 9

William H. Momsen, superintendent of the Milwaukee County House of Correction, and one of the well-known and efficient public officials, loyal at all times to the trust reposed in him, was born in this city and is the owner of the house in which he first opened his eyes to the light of day. His parents were Peter A. and Louise A. (Grunert) Momsen, both of whom were natives of Germany, coming to Milwaukee about 1849. The father crossed the Atlantic alone, while the mother came with her parents and their marriage was celebrated in this city. Peter A. Momsen was a cabinetmaker by trade and for a number of years was in the employ of A. D. Seaman & Company. He led a life of industry and usefulness and retired from business a few years prior to his death, which occurred in 1910.

William H. Momsen was educated in the public schools of Milwaukee and also attended the Spencerian Business College. He afterward started out in the business world as an employee of the banking firm of Houghton, McCord & Company, whom he served as messenger boy. He remained with that company for thirteen years, winning promotion from time to time until he was serving as teller, when he resigned to enter the Plankinton Bank as assistant cashier. Later he was advanced to the position of cashier and remained with that institution until 1893. He next turned his attention to the real estate and loan business and was thus engaged until his appointment as inspector of the House of Correction in the fall of 1903. This position he has since filled and his record is one highly creditable, his labors being a notable force in the improvement of the institution and methods of its conduct. The House of Correction has a farm comprising four hundred and seventy-five acres and the inmates are required to work thereon. The building can accommodate about eight hundred and an individual can be sent to the institution for five years. The buildings are located on a beautiful site, the grounds are well kept and everything about the place is conducted along the most sanitary lines and indicates the most thorough and efficient supervision on the part of the superintendent.

In 1885 Mr. Momsen was married to Miss Mary Louise Groth, a native of Germany, and they have become parents of three children: Walter P., who is with the Fischer Furniture Company; Richard P., an attorney now located in Rio Janeiro, Brazil; and Viola Louise, the wife of Walter G. Meyer, assistant manager and secretary of the W. H. Pipkorn Company of Milwaukee.

Mr. Momsen is a member of the Wisconsin Club, also of the Calumet Club and the Milwaukee Athletic Club of which he served as president in 1887, when the dues were but three dollars per year. He is likewise a member of the Old Settlers Club and is identified with the Elks, the Eagles, the A. L. A. and with the National Union. His progressive spirit is manifest in his active interest in everything that pertains to the welfare and upbuilding of the city and the maintenance of high civic standards.