Edward Sauerhering

Edward Sauerhering (June 24, 1864 – March 1, 1924) was a German American pharmacist and Republican politician from Dodge County, Wisconsin. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms, representing Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district during the 54th and 55th congresses (1895–1899). He was author of one of the first significant dairy laws in Congress, placing taxes and regulations on pseudo-dairy products like margarine. His father, Rudolf Sauerhering, was the first village president of Mayville, Wisconsin.

Early life and education Edward Sauerhering was born in Mayville, Wisconsin, on June 24, 1864. He attended public schools in Mayville until age 16, when he went to work at his father's drug store. He went on to attend the Chicago College of Pharmacy, where he graduated in 1885.

After graduating, he worked in the drug business for three years in Chicago before returning to Mayville. In 1892, Sauerhering was elected chairman of the Dodge County Republican Party. That fall, he was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin State Assembly in Dodge County's 1st Assembly district—comprising roughly the northeast quarter of the county. Nominations in 1892 were unusually late due to litigation over redistricting. Sauerhering officially received the nomination on October 22, seventeen days before the election. Sauerhering faced Democratic incumbent Bennett Sampson in the general election, and lost by nearly a 2-to-1 margin.

Undaunted, the next spring, Sauerhering ran for mayor of Mayville, but lost to Carl A. Barwig, son of congressman Charles Barwig.

Sauerhering, as chairman of the Dodge County Republicans, appeared at the 2nd congressional district convention in 1894 to organize a ticket. In the 1890s, Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district comprised Dane, Dodge, Columbia, and Jefferson counties, in south-central Wisconsin. The delegates' preferred candidate, Jefferson County state representative George Grimm, refused the congressional nomination; the convention eventually chose Sauerhering instead, some newspapers speculated that this was because Sauerhering was from the same city as the Democratic incumbent, Barwig.

Sauerhering faced the incumbent, Charles Barwig, in the general election. The political mood had turned decisively against the Democrats in 1894, due to fallout from the Panic of 1893, which Republicans blamed on Democratic free trade policies. A Republican wave saw Republicans gain 104 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Sauerhering prevailed in one of the closest races in the country, defeating Barwig by just 265 votes. Sauerhering won a second term by a wide margin 1896, defeating former Madison mayor William H. Rogers. His chief accomplishment in Congress was passage of an act defining cheese as a pure dairy product without addition of other animal fats or vegetable oils. The act also placed taxes and regulations on margarine and other "filled cheese" products. He declined to run again in 1898, returning to his family drug store. He was interred at Mayville's Graceland Cemetery.

Personal life and family Edward Sauerhering was one of five children born to Rudolf Sauerhering and his wife Henrietta ( Hartwig). Both parents were German American immigrants from East Prussia (present day Poland). Rudolf Sauerhering was the first village president of Mayville; he and his brother, Adolph Sauerhering, where both pharmacists educated at the University of Königsberg. They came to Wisconsin in the early 1850s and were among the first drug store operators in eastern Dodge County.

Edward Sauerhering married Eugenia Langenbach on June 29, 1889. Eugenia was also a first generation American and a child of German emigrants. They had three children together. Their son, Adolph, served in the United States Army during World War I. Both sons eventually adopted the shortened surname "Sauer".

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1892) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 1892 General Democratic 2,113 66.01% Rep. 1,088 33.99% 3,201 1,025

Mayville Mayor (1893) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 1893 General Democratic 164 58.99% Rep. 114 41.01% 278 50

U.S. House (1894, 1896) Year Election Date Elected Defeated Total Plurality 1894 General Republican 18,197 47.87% Dem. 17,932 47.17% 38,017 265 Proh. 1,4333.77% Peo. 120 1.20% 1896 General Republican 24,011 56.48% Dem. 17,480 41.11% 42,516 6,531 Proh. 1,0252.41%