Frederick Hilgen

Johann Friedrich "Frederick" Hilgen (April 3, 1805 – March 27, 1878) was a German American immigrant, miller, and Wisconsin pioneer. He is known as the "father" of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and was responsible for the construction of the historic Cedarburg Mill and the Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill. He also represented Ozaukee County in the Wisconsin Senate during the 1860 legislative session.

Early life Frederick Hilgen was born Johann Friedrich Hilgen in the municipality of Kirchhatten, in what is now northwestern Germany. At the time of his birth, this area was the Duchy of Oldenburg. He was raised and educated in Germany, learning to farm from his father. He emigrated to the United States in 1832, settling in a German immigrant community in Charleston, South Carolina, where he remained for over a decade. In South Carolina, he opened a grocery and general store. He operated the store in partnership with William Schroeder, another immigrant from Kirchhatten, who would be Hilgen's business partner for most of his life.

While living in South Carolina, Hilgen was also a member of the volunteer militia company the "German Fusilier Society". As part of his involvement with the militia, he served with the United States forces in the Second Seminole War and participated in a campaign in the Everglades.

Hilgen also became involved with the militia in Wisconsin, joining the "Wisconsin Guards"—a Milwaukee-based militia company made of mostly German immigrants.

Hilgen only served in state office once. He was elected in an 1859 special election to serve one year in the Wisconsin Senate following the resignation of the incumbent, Lion Silverman. He received the Democratic nomination and faced no opposition in the general election. During the 1860 legislative session, he served on the committees on internal improvements and on state prisons. He did not run for re-election in 1860.

Through the next several decades, Hilgen was responsible for several other important buildings and institutions in the new village, including the Hilgen and Wittenberg Woolen Mill, which is also not listed in the National Register of Historic Places. He also established the Hilgen Spring Park, a popular summer resort, in 1852, and founded the Hilgen Manufacturing Company in partnership with his son in 1872.

Personal life and family Hilgen was one of seven children born to Christian Carl Ludwig Hilgen and his wife Anna Sophia (née Schroeder) Hilgen. His father was an Untervogt in Oldenburg—a secular government administrator, generally of junior nobility. His father died in 1821, when Frederick Hilgen was 16.

After emigrating to the United States, Hilgen returned to Oldenburg in 1837 to marry Katherine Louise Boerner, the sister of his business partner C. Frederick Boerner. The decision to leave Charleston was in part motivated by the fact that Hilgen and his wife lost four of their first five children—Hilgen blamed South Carolina's heat and humidity. They ultimately would have nine more children after moving to Wisconsin, all nine survived to adulthood.