admin CARL AUGUSTUS STRANGMANN, President of the German-American Brewing Company, and well-known in business circles in Buffalo and throughout the State, is a man who has been able to combine success in life with those pursuits which mark the individual of culture. Mr. Strangmann is thoroughly practical, but with him enterprise has always gone hand in hand with love of learning. In a busy career he has found time to lay up a store of knowledge which enrolls him in the ranks of scholars. He is an ardent student of literature and social and economic questions, and he possesses one of the finest private libraries in Buffalo.
Mr. Strangmann comes of one of the oldest German families, his ancestors having lived for at least three hundred years in North Germany. Henry Strangmann, the greatgrandfather of Carl A. Strangmann, resided at Wagenfeld in Hanover and was by occupation a farmer. Henry Strangmann’s son, Henry C, and the latter’s son, Carl A., father of the subject of this sketch, were both born on the same estate at Wagenfeld.
On the mother’s side Mr. Strangmann is descended from the Portner family, who live at Rahden, in Westphalia, not far from Wagenfeld in Hanover. Col. Hermann Portner, Mr. Strangmann’s maternal grandfather, was an officer in the Prussian army, and served under Marshal Blucher in the last campaign against Napoleon. Col. Portner distinguished himself at the battle of Waterloo, and as a reward the King of Prussia decreed that all of his sons should be educated at the expense of the Government. In addition the King decorated him with a military order of high grade. After the war, Col. Portner occupied a judicial position in the Prussian kingdom. He died in 1850.
The senior Carl A. Strangmann was born in Wagenfeld, Hanover, in 1817. In his youth he came to America, settling in New York City in 1835. Here he remained ten years, returning in 1845 to the old country. While in New York he was a manufacturer of furniture, and was also one of the pioneer sugar refiners of New York City. Upon his return to Saxony he married Augusta Portner, daughter of Col. Hermann Portner. Mrs. Strangmann was unwilling to cross the Atlantic, and so the couple remained in Rahden.
Their son, Carl A. Strangmann, Jr., was born in Rahden in May, 1860. Until he was twelve years old he attended elementary schools, and later studied at a college preparatory school. Coming to this country in 1875 the youth first worked for a year as a grocery clerk in New York City. He then went to Alexandria, Va., where his uncle, Robert Portner, owned a brewery. Here the young man learned the brewing business, and in 1883 he was made manager of the concern, a position which he filled until 1895. He then went to Cleveland, where he engaged in brewing, having Mr. John M. Leicht for his partner. In 1899 the industry was absorbed by a syndicate, and in 1900 Mr. Strangmann removed to Buffalo, where he purchased a controlling interest in the German-American Brewing Company. Under his guidance the company was quickly established on a firm foundation, and today has one of the finest plants in the State. Mr. Strangmann’s position in the brewing industry is well recognized. He has served as an officer of the United States Brewers’ Association, is a trustee of the New York State Brewers’ Association, and a member of the Brewers’ Exchange in Buffalo.
Mr. Strangmann is one of the best read men in Buffalo. For many years he has been an enthusiastic collector of books. His library contains hundreds of volumes comprising the standard productions of German and English literature, as well as works on social and political economy, of which subjects he is an earnest student. Mr. Strangmann is a great lover of music, and an exponent of sound musical culture. He at one time organized and successfully conducted an orchestra.
Mr. Strangmann is a member of the Orpheus and Saengerbund singing societies, and of the German-American Alliance. He is also a Mason, being a member of the Alexandria-Washington Lodge No. 22, of Alexandria, Virginia.
SOURCE: Memorial and Family History of Erie County New York; Volume I