| Uihlein | |
|---|---|
| Current region | Wisconsin |
| Place of origin | Wisconsin Midwestern United States Germany |
| Estate(s) | Herman Uihlein House (Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin) |
The Uihlein family is an American family known for their activities in business and philanthropy. Of German heritage, much of the family has roots in Wisconsin. Many members of the family are prominent political donors and activists, mostly for conservative causes.
Historically, much of the family has had close ties to the brewing industry, with patriarch August Uihlein's uncle being the founder of what would later become the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The most prominent contemporary members of the Uihlein family are Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, founders of Uline and conservative megadonors.
August Uihlein first emigrated to the United States around 1850 to work at the Krug Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by his uncle August Krug, this would later become the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, when after Krug's death, his widow Anna Maria would marry fellow German-American Joseph Schlitz. In 1875, Schlitz died in the sinking of the SS Schiller. Per Schiltz's wishes, management was passed to the four Uihlein brothers, August, Henry, Alfred and Edward. When Anna Maria Schlitz died in 1887, the Uihleins acquired full ownership of the firm, and the Uihlein family continued to run the brewery for the next century. The Uihleins had decided to keep the name Schlitz during their ownership of the firm, as Americans had difficulty pronouncing their surname.[1]
August Uihlein served as Chairman of the Board from from the 1870s until his death. Several of Augusts children would also remain close to the industry; his eldest daughter Ida would marry Frederick Pabst, Jr., son of brewer Frederick Pabst, in 1862,[2] and his son Joseph would carry on his work at Schlitz, eventually becoming vice-president of the brewery.
Many descendants of August Uihlein would remain active with the company, and the brewing industry at large. Robert Uihlein Jr., grandson of August Uihlein, would also serve as an executive at the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company, becoming president in 1961, and chairman in 1967. Robert also served on the Board of Directors of the United States Brewers' Association.[3] Edgar John Uihlein, Sr. also served as an executive at the company.
In contemporary times, the Uihlein family is active in politics, mostly supporting and advocating for conservative causes.
Noted in the 21st century are Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, founders of Uline, who are prominent conservative activists and donors. Prior to the 2016 election cycle, they mainly supported Republican candidates in Wisconsin and Illinois, but began to expand their support to other Republican candidates outside the Midwest as well. They supported Donald Trump during the 2016 Presidential election, and during the 2018 midterm elections, the pair were the largest single donors in the Republican party.[4] Richard is known for his staunch economic and socially conservative views, including opposition to abortion and LGBT rights, unions, and support for deregulation and tax breaks. His wife Elizabeth, known as "Liz", tends to share these views, and is known for sharing them in her columns in the quarterly Uline catalogs.[5]
David Vogel Uihlein, Jr., second cousin of Richard Uihlein, is also active in conservative causes. He has been a vice-chairman of the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation since 2001.[6] The organization, commonly known as the Bradley Foundation, has been increasingly active in far-right causes, and "has become an extraordinary force in persuading mainstream Republicans to support radical challenges to election rules", including Donald Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.[7] The foundation traces its origins to Lynde and Harry Bradley, founders of the Allen-Bradley Company, the latter of whom is David Uihlein, Jr.'s maternal grandfather. Incidentally, Harry Bradley was also a founding member of the John Birch Society, an ultraconservative think tank and advocacy group.
Not all of the Uihleins are active in conservative politics; Lynde Bradley Uihlein, sister of David Uihlein, Jr., supports liberal causes and is a donor to Democratic politicians.
(...) the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation. Based in Milwaukee, the private, tax-exempt organization has become an extraordinary force in persuading mainstream Republicans to support radical challenges to election rules—a tactic once relegated to the far right. With an endowment of some eight hundred and fifty million dollars, the foundation funds a network of groups that have been stoking fear about election fraud, in some cases for years. Public records show that, since 2012, the foundation has spent some eighteen million dollars supporting eleven conservative groups involved in election issues.
