TY - THES
KW - Berlin (Ontario)
KW - Businesses
KW - Breithaupt family
KW - Leather industry
KW - Breithaupt Leather Co.  Berlin
AU - Andrew Thomson
AB - When the Breithaupt family formed a joint stock company in 1890, it marked the final stage in the development of their leather business in Berlin Ontario. The family had been tanners for eight generations, both in Europe and North America, but the later generations faced increasing challenges to the traditional tanning craft. My thesis examines the nature of tanning, the changes that industrialism brought to it, and the manner in which the Breithaupts adapted to the new circumstances. The thesis does not attempt an economic analysis of the Breithaupt business, instead it uses diaries, correspondence and press reports to examine the manner in which the Breithaupts dealt with the challenges of business life. The rise of industrialism, and the decline of the guilds, motivated the family to seek a new life in the United States. The easy transfer of the tanning business to North America, and the benefits of the closely knit German community of Buffalo, New York, eased the Breithpauts' transition to North America. When the scale of operation required for economic success in Buffalo grew beyond their means Breithaupt's son, Louis, chose to emigrate to Berlin, Upper Canada. In Berlin the family would find their greatest success. Again the easy transfer of the tanning skills was supplemented by the presence of a strong German community. In Berlin Louis Breithaupt also found a large congregation that shared his conversion to the German Evangelical faith. The aggressive expansion of his tanning facilities, and the equally aggressive acquisition of real estate, provided Breithaupt with the means to secure his family's economic future. The thesis also examines the education of the family children and their integration into the business. Louis Breithaupt's active life in local politics is also considered, and contrasted with the methods and associations his son chose to pursue. By the late 1880's the size and complexity of the Breithaupt business had made family's method of management by consensus impractical. The creation of a joint stock company by Louis' sons reflected the necessity for professional management and the final step in the development of the business from craft to industry.
C7 - Unknown(0)
DP - ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
ET - Ph.D.
ID - 419
LA - English
M1 - Dissertation/Thesis
M3 - Print(0)
PB - University of Waterloo
PY - 1992
SP - 1
EP - 283
EP - 
T1 - The Breithaupts and Breithaupt Leather: Building a family business in Berlin, Ontario
ER -