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Friedrich Gretsch

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Friedrich Gretsch
Gretsch, c. 1890–95
Born
Friedrich Wilhelm Gretsch

(1856-04-16)April 16, 1856
Mannheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Confederation
DiedApril 28, 1895(1895-04-28) (aged 39)
Hamburg, German Empire
NationalityBaden
American
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounding Gretsch
SpouseRosa Gretsch
Children7
RelativesMarion G. Wells (granddaughter)

Friedrich Wilhelm "Fritz" Gretsch (April 16, 1856 – April 28, 1895) was a German American businessman and industrialist. He was the founder of the Gretsch Company, a musical instrument manufacturing and marketing company based in Brooklyn, New York.

Born and raised in Mannheim, Germany, in what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden, Gretsch immigrated to the United States in 1873. During the Gilded Age, he established his manufacturing company at a time when mass production and standardization were beginning. As of 2024, the Gretsch family still owns and operates the Gretsch Company.

After traveling aboard the SS Fürst Bismarck to Hamburg to visit family in April 1895, he died in the 1881–1896 cholera pandemic.

Early life

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Friedrich Wilhelm Gretsch was born on April 16, 1856, in Mannheim, Germany, the oldest of nine children of Wilhelm and Anna Gretsch.[1] His father owned a successful general store in Mannheim and his mother had several brothers who immigrated to California.[2]

In 1873, as a teenager, Gretsch boarded the Vandalia steamship and immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island. He briefly worked for a wine merchant before gaining employment with the drum and banjo manufacturing company, Albert Houdlett and Sons.[2][3]

Career

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Gretsch business letter, 1887

In 1883, Gretsch founded his own musical instrument shop, The Gretsch Company, at 128 Middleton Street in Brooklyn. His shop was designed for the manufacture of banjos, tambourines, and drums, with the company experiencing some success catering to marching bands.[4] The operation moved to South 4th Street in 1894.[5]

The company would go on to produce instruments for artists such as: Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, and George Harrison, who played a Gretsch guitar during The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.[6][7]

Personal life

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Rosa with their children, 1984

Gretsch was married to his wife Rosa and lived in New York City.[8] They had seven children, including: Frederick Gretsch Sr., William Walter "Bill" Gretsch, Louis Gretsch, and Herbert Gretsch.[9][10] Walter's daughter Gertrude would marry John Jacob Astor VI in 1944 and give birth to Gretsch's great-granddaughter, Mary Jacqueline Astor (b. 1949), who married John Rozet Drexel IV (b. 1945), great-great-grandson of Anthony Joseph Drexel, in 1984.[11][12][13] Gretsch was also the grandfather of Marion G. Wells, daughter of Louis and Marion Downey Gretsch.[14]

On April 11, 1895, Gretsch traveled aboard the SS Fürst Bismarck to Hamburg to visit family and expand his business into Europe. His arrival coincided with the 1881–1896 cholera pandemic. Gretsch contracted the disease within days of his arrival and died, at the age of 39, on April 28, 1895.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Dungan, Ronnie (July 20, 2016). "The story of Gretsch". mmrmagazine.com. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "The Fred Thread: Four Gretsch Presidents Named…Fred (Fred #1)". gretschdrums.com. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "About Gretsch". gretschdrums.com. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Stoner, Brandon (October 10, 2022). "A brief history of Gretsch guitars". Guitar World. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "Where Are Gretsch Guitars Made? – From Workshop to World Stage Source". primesound.org. Alicia Steen. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  6. ^ Komanecky, DeAnn (March 30, 2018). "The Gretsch Company making, changing music's history, future". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  7. ^ Thanki, Juli (January 14, 2016). "Gretsch Exhibit Opens At Country Music Hall Of Fame". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "Story of the Gretsch Guitar". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  9. ^ "Walter Gretsch, 58, Active in Charities". Brooklyn Eagle. May 28, 1940. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "Gretsch — A Legacy of Family Spanning 141 Years". gretsch.com. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
  11. ^ "J. J. Astor Marries Gertrude Gretsch". The New York Times. September 19, 1944. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Paid Notice: Deaths COLETTI, PERUCCA, GERTRUDE GRETSCH". The New York Times. January 20, 1999. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  13. ^ Curtis, Charlotte (August 22, 1967). "Newport Party Resembled Reunion Of John Jacob Astor's Relatives". The Daily Telegraph.
  14. ^ "Society". Brooklyn Eagle. December 19, 1948. Retrieved December 28, 2024.
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