Schmidt, William J.
William J. Schmidt (April 13, 1840 - May 15, 1909) was a draughtsman in the City Engineer's Department of Milwaukee. Like many in Milwaukee, he was born in Germany, in Lower Saxony, and emigrated in the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848, arriving in the U.S. in 1849. His family originally settled in Baltimore but early in his adult life, Schmidt travelled to Milwaukee for work and decided to relocate there. By June 1870, Schmidt was working for the City of Milwaukee as a civil engineer and draughtsman, where he would spend nearly 40 years. By the end of his career, he had risen to the position of 'Chief Draughtsman,' soon thereafter renamed 'City Draughtsman,' and was described upon his death in 1909 as 'in point of service the oldest employee of the city.' Schmidt was known to be a knowledgeable and assiduous public servant, hardly missing a day of work in his decades with the city and only stopping work a week before his death despite suffering from throat cancer. His son, also named William Schmidt, worked in the city's Water Department for many years.
Milwaukee: German Athens of America.
Map of the City of Milwaukee...
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This is William Schmidt and H. V. Kuhlmann's large-format c. 1875 wall map of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the finest map of Milwaukee during the late 19th century, when it underwent a period of fast-paced immigration-fueled development. The map is invaluable as a snapshot of Milwaukee’s emergence as an industrial and immigrant metropolis, documenting neighborhoods, infrastructure, and development patterns. (more details)