Hermine Schumacher Schumacher,
1823-1893

Hermine Schumacher Schumacher, first wife of Akron's cereal king Ferdinand Schumacher, was a leader in the temperance crusade of 1874 but she focused most of her benevolent work in groups associated with the German population of the city.

Hermine Schumacher was born in Bevern, Germany, in 1823. She was engaged to her cousin Ferdinand Schumacher prior to his immigration to America. After he was settled in Cleveland, she followed him to America in 1851 and they were married soon after. In 1852, the couple settled in Akron. He focused on building his cereal business, which through mergers became Quaker Oats.

Both Schumachers were committed prohibitionists. She, particularly, played a role in the early days of the women's temperance crusade of 1874. She signed the call for a rally at the First Methodist Episcopal Church that started the Akron's temperance crusade of 1874. That crusade was marked by small groups of women "visiting" Akron bars and saloon and praying in the streets in an attempt to close down the liquor traffic in the city. She also served as a delegate to the state temperance convention of 1874. In addition, she was a member of the Ladies Cemetery Association.

Her obituary in the Beacon Journal emphasized that Schumacher had been involved in a range of benevolent organizations, especially those involving the German population. In the post Civil War period, Akron had a sizeable German population with many civic organizations. During the immediate post-Civil War years, the Schumacher house became a center for those activities.

Her activism was cut short by disease, however. By 1882, Schumacher had withdrawn from most of her civic activities. She had a severe case of rheumatism and no amount of hot springs, travel or medicines relieved the pain, the Beacon Journal reported. During this time also, after a disasterous fire at the Akron mill, her husband lost control of his cereal manufacturing business and much of his wealth.

When Schumacher died on June 1, 1893, she was survived by her husband and two sons. Her other five children had died in youth.

--Kathleen L. Endres