Conrad Poppenhusen

Conrad Poppenhusen (April 1, 1818 – December 12, 1883) was a German American businessman. He was also a philanthropist, a founder of College Point, Queens, and the founder of the first free kindergarten in the United States (on July 1, 1870).

Early life Poppenhusen was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1818. (at least about $130 million — or perhaps as much as $1.9 billion — in 2024 dollars).

Family and personal life Poppenhusen married Bertha Marie Henrietta Karker in May 1841. They had four children: sons Adolph Conrad (1842–1882), Heinrich Conrad (1846–1847), Herman Christian (1847–1891) and Alfred (1850–1887), and daughter Marie (1849–1874).

Conrad Poppenhusen died in College Point in 1883 and was memorialized by the community with a statue in Poppenhusen Park in 1884. His remains were stored temporarily in nearby Flushing Cemetery and were then shipped months later to his native Germany where they were buried in Ohlsdorf Cemetery in Hamburg.

The College Point branch of the Queens Library, built in 1904, bears his name. Additionally, streets in Hamburg and in College Point are named for him.