Frederick G. Niedringhaus

Frederick Gottlieb Niedringhaus (October 21, 1837 – November 25, 1922) was a German-born American businessman and politician. He served as a U.S. Representative from Missouri.

Early life Niedringhaus was born on October 21, 1837, in Lübbecke, Westphalia, Germany. Niedringhaus attended the common schools there and learned the glazing, painting, and tinning trades. He emigrated to the United States in November 1855 and settled in St. Louis, Missouri.

Career With his brother William, Niedringhaus started a tinware stamping company in the early 1860s, just as the Civil War fueled demand for tin products. The brothers' business boomed, and in 1866 they founded the St. Louis Stamping Company. An initial capitalization of $125,000 allowed them to open a factory. The brothers spent long hours at the factory, "engrossed in detail of production, or absorbed in plans to capture new markets, and sometimes even taking turns at the stamping machines when rush orders piled up." With his brother, Niedringhaus developed a process for creating a decorative mottled surface on enameled metal in 1875. The process began with rolled sheet iron stamped into various shapes. Then, the ironware was dipped into an enamel and baked, creating a shiny blue-gray glaze. Because granite was used in the enameling process, the brothers called the new product Granite Ironware. They created a distribution network by making hardware stores agents for Granite Ironware. This "graniteware" became popular, and in 1877 they built a five-story brick warehouse and factory. A new rolling mill allowed them to produce sheet iron, which they had previously imported from Wales. In 1885, the company expanded to manufacture terneplate, a roofing material made of sheet iron or sheet steel coated with an alloy of lead and tin. In 1891, the brothers purchased land in Madison County, Illinois, eventually acquiring 3,500 acres. They relocated and expanded their factory, incorporating Granite City in 1896. In 1899, the St. Louis Stamping Company merged with similar businesses to form the National Enameling and Stamping Company.

Death

He died in St. Louis, Missouri, November 25, 1922, and was interred in Bellefontaine Cemetery.