Jerome Charles Dretzka (1881 - 1963)

Born 5 Dec 1881 in Boruschin, Posen, Preußen, Deutsches Reich

Died 14 Feb 1963 at age 81 in Cudahy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States

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Biography

Jerome Charles Dretzka was born in 1881 in Boruszyn, Czarnków, Wielkopolskie, Poland to Franz and Amelia (Krenz) Dretzka. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}

Jerome Charles Dretzka migrated from Poland to United States.

He came to the United States as a young child, with his parents.

Immigration: BET 1890 AND 1892, Germany to USA. ^[13]

Alternate Immigration: 1889, Germany to USA. ^[14]

He married Elynor B. Kleineider about 1917. ^[15] See her profile for a list of their children.

He was a prominent businessman and civic leader. See his obituary, below.

He died on 14 FEB 1963 in Cudahy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was buried there in Holy Sepulcher Cemetery. ^{[16] [11] [17] [5]}

Jerome Dretzka obituary Fri, Feb 15, 1963 Racine, Wisconsin, and reprinted across the state. ^[18] Fri, Feb 15, 1963, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. ^[19]

Notes

After his death, Dretzka Park in Milwaukee was named after him.

Obituary, Milwaukee Journal, 15 Feb 1963 (front page) summarized:
PARK GROUP VETERAN, JEROME DRETZKA, DIES
Member of County Commission for 43 Years; Also Was Top Administrator
Jerome C. Dretzka, 81, a member of the county park commission for 43 years and former administrative head of the park department, died Thursday afternoon at Trinity Memorial hospital, Cudahy.

Mr. Dretzka had served as a non-salaried member of the park commission since Feb. 11, 1920. From 1926 until December, 1952, he also was executive secretary of the commission, a full time salaried civil service position.

When he retired in 1952, the title of the job was changed to general manager of parks. He continued as a member of the park commission and also as its official secretary. ...

Mr. Dretzka was long regarded as one of the commission's most valuable members. A real estate dealer by occupation, he was credited by county officials with having saved the county many thousands of dollars through his shrewd judgment and bargaining.

... A real estate friend said of Mr. Dretzka recently, "Charles Whitnall (long time park planner and commissioner known as the father of the county park system) had the dreams. Dretzka made them a reality."

His interest in parks dated back to his boyhood, when he used to play in the old Coleman woods, now Kosciuszko park.

He was born Dec. 5, 1881, in Posen, Poland, then a part of Germany. His father, Frank, was a butcher. The family emigrated to America in 1886, settling on Milwaukee's south side where Jerome attended parochial schools. He never attended high school, although he later took night courses at the old MacDonald business school. In 1893 the family moved to Cudahy, then a village, where Jerome has lived since. His home was at 4520 S. Lawler Av.

He went to work at the age of 12 for Cudahy Brothers Co., receiving 5 cents an hour for wheeling salt to the meat salters. Most of his earnings went toward the support of the family, which included seven brothers and sisters. He never stopped working after that, even in retirement.

Mr. Dretzka became interested in real estate when his father bought a home in Cudahy for $1,000, mortgaged it to buy two vacant lots, and built a store. Jerome's mother then went into the dry goods and notion business and the son worked there in his spare time. Later he quit his packing plant job to work full time in the store.

About this time he became interested in politics. His father had been elected the first city treasurer of Cudahy after its incorporation in 1908. In 1912 Jerome was elected city clerk, a full time position he held more than four years. In that period he made his first venture into real estate, buying three lots and selling them for a 300% profit.

In 1916 Patrick Cudahy, who owned not only the packing plant but a good share of the city of Cudahy, asked Mr. Dretzka to manage his real estate holdings. Mr. Dretzka left his city clerk job and worked for the Cudahy family until 1921, when he went into the real estate business for himself. Meanwhile, he had been appointed to the park commission through the influence of Patrick Cudahy, a member of the commission, and the late Supervisor Eugene Warnimont, a dominant member of the county board for many years.

Mr. Dretzka was named executive secretary of the commission in 1926 to succeed Whitnall. When Mr. Dretzka joined the commission in 1920 the county park and parkway system contained 680 acres. During his tenure it grew to more than 11,000 acres. Many of those acres were bought by Mr. Dretzka.

He is survived by his wife, Elynor; four sons, Hubert, Cudahy; Roland, Racine; Kenneth, South Milwaukee, and Jerome L., Washington, D.C.; two daughters, Mrs. James Cherrie, Cleveland, Ohio, and Lenore, Washington D.C.; a brother, Sylvester, Milwaukee, and three sisters, Mrs. Julia Puetz, Cudahy; Mrs. Hylda Schneider and Mrs Martha Attermeier, Milwaukee.

Sources

1. ↑ WWI Civilian Draft Registrations, ancestry.com
2. ↑ Dretzka Family Tree, provided by Hub Dretzka, 2002: Jerome C.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7J2-3DH : 10 January 2021), Jerome C Dretzka, Cudahy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 40-4, sheet 17A, line 25, family 337, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4500.
4. ↑ Ancestry.com U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942; The National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War II Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) for the State of Wisconsin; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1975; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M2126; Box
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Find a Grave, database and images (www.findagrave.com/memorial/117948674/jerome-c-dretzka : accessed 24 April 2021), memorial page for Jerome C Dretzka (5 Dec 1881–14 Feb 1963), Find A Grave: Memorial #117948674, citing Holy Sepulcher Cemetery, Cudahy, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, USA ; Maintained by Carla Magnus (contributor 47549187) .
6. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X99Q-LVM : accessed 25 April 2021), Jerome C Dretzka, Cudahy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 339, sheet 10B, line 52, family 196, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2584; FHL microfilm 2,342,318.
7. ↑ Source: #S12 Year: 1900; Census Place: Cudahy, Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Page: 7; Enumeration District: 0008; FHL microfilm: 1241800
8. ↑ Obituary: born in Posen, Poland
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMVJ-XX2 : accessed 25 April 2021), Gerome Dretzk in household of Frank Dretzk, Lake town, Precinct 2, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 8, sheet 7A, family 373, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,800.
10. ↑ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFV1-CDC : 4 February 2021), Jerome Dretzka, 1920: age 38 b. Posen resident Cudahy WI
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Social Security Death Index
12. ↑ Joy A. Schmeisser: Letter; gives the birthplace Borosyn, Germany
13. ↑ Calculated from siblings' birthdates
14. ↑ 1900 Census, record for his father
15. ↑ Source: #S31
16. ↑ Wisconsin Death Index 1959-1979
17. ↑ Obituary
18. ↑ Newspapers.com - The Journal Times - Fri, Feb 15, 1963 - Page 1 Publication: Name: The Journal Times; Location: Racine, Wisconsin; Date: Fri, Feb 15, 1963; Jerome Dretzka obituary. Link: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16663478/jerome_dretzka_obituary/?xid=637
19. ↑ Newspapers.com - The Sheboygan Press - Fri, Feb 15, 1963 - Page 8 Publication: Name: The Sheboygan Press; Location: Sheboygan, Wisconsin; Date: Fri, Feb 15, 1963: Jerome Dretzka obituary, Link: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16663055/jerome_dretzka_obituary/?xid=637

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