Business and Politics: The Contested Career of Charles F. Pfister

Studio portrait of first-generation German-American businessman Guido Pfister (1818-1889) in the 1880s. From An Illustrated Description of Milwaukee. Milwaukee: Milwaukee…

Pfister & Vogel Leather Company, mid-1870s

Illustration of Pfister & Vogel Leather Company’s Menomonee plant. From Milwaukee Illustrated: Its Trade, Commerce, Manufacturing Interests, and Advantages as…

Milwaukee Water Works, early 1870s

Illustration of the Milwaukee Water Works. From Milwaukee Illustrated: Its Trade, Commerce, Manufacturing Interests, and Advantages as a Residence City.…

Mr. Bigelow goes to Prison, 1905

This cartoon was published in the San Francisco Call, April 25, 1905, p. 1.

Hotel Pfister in Milwaukee, ca. 1901

The Hotel Pfister opened as planned on May 1, 1893, and was perceived as a lavish and luxurious place from…

Pfister, Charles depicted in an illustration from 1899

Illustration from the Wisconsin Weekly Advocate (June 15, 1899), p. 1.

The Struggle between the “Stalwarts” and the “Half-Breeds,” 1902

Cartoon depicting the struggle between the “stalwart” Republicans, as represented by Charles Pfister and the “half-breeds” as represented by President…

Portrait of Charles F. Pfister, early 1900s

Pfister, Charles F. portrait, early 1900s

Portrait of Charles F. Pfister, early 1900. From the Chicago Daily Tribune (August 5, 1905), 2.

Pfister, Charles portrait, no date

Undated studio portrait of Milwaukee entrepreneur Charles F. Pfister, who, among other activities and business interests, was the owner of…

Studio group portrait of Charles F. Pfister, Henry C. Payne, and Frank G. Bigelow, 1902

Henry Payne, the director of the First National Bank of Milwaukee, was a leading Republican and friend of Pfister. Over…