Adolph C. Weiss
It is a far reach from the position of cash boy to that of secretary and treasurer of an important business enterprise, but such is the record that Adolph C. Weiss has made since he first started out in the world on his own account. Earnest, persistent work, intelligently directed, has been the means of his advancement. He was born in Cincinnati, October 25, 1863, and his life record is another proof of the fact that a large percentage of the leading business men here trace their ancestry back to or have had their nativity in Germany. Both of his parents, Charles Henry and Eliza (Sauer) Weiss, were natives of Germany, where the father was born in 1828 and the mother in 1841. He was a tailor by trade and devoted many years of his life to that pursuit. He reached the age of seventy-eight years, passing away in 1906. In their family were five children, of whom four are living: Adolph C.; William, now a resident of Davenport, Iowa; Matilda, the wife of James L. Haven of Cincinnati; and Emma, who is the wife of George Helmer, a resident of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Adolph C. Weiss was educated in the public schools of Cincinnati, his boyhood days being passed in the usual manner of lads of that period who devoted their time to the work of the schoolroom, the pleasures of the playground and such tasks as were assigned them by parental authority. He was but a lad of fourteen years when he started out to earn his living and since that time he has been dependent entirely upon his own resources so that whatever success he has achieved is the tangible evidence of industry and perseverance. It was in 1877 that he entered the service of the Mabley-Carew Company, starting in as cash boy. Gradually he has worked his way upward in this large dry-goods establishment and the proof of his ability and trustworthiness is found in the fact that he has been promoted from one position to another until he is now secretary and treasurer of one of the leading houses of this character in the city, in which he also owns considerable stock.
On the 21st of November, 1888, Mr. Weiss was married to Miss Laura Reutepohler, who was born in Cincinnati, a daughter of Frederick and Mary Reutepohler. Her father, a wholesale grocer here, is still living but the mother is now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Weiss have two children, a son and a daughter, Frederick and Laura Louise. The former, born in Cincinnati, is now in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Weiss at one time was a member and one of the organizers of the Business Men's Club. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and his fraternal relations are with the Masonic order, in which he has taken the degrees of the Scottish Rite. He belongs to the German Lutheran church and his entire life has been actuated by high and honorable principles and laudable ambition. Advancement can always be won by capable service, which renders the labors of the employee of worth to the employer and, recognizing this fact, Mr. Weiss steadily advanced , mastering the different features and phases of the business and becoming of more and more worth in the conduct and management of his house. His position in commercial circles is now a most creditable one and his record is such that any man might be proud to possess.
From Cincinnati, The Queen City, Volume III, by Rev. Charles Frederic Goss, S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1912