Mengel,Charles Christopher

Biography - Colonel Charles Christopher Mengel

Source: "History of Kentucky and Kentuckians",
Volume II, Pages 605-606

Author: E. Polk Johnson

Published: The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago-New York

1912

Transcribed by: C. Vines

COLONEL C. C. MENGEL is a man among men, strong in conviction and concentration, and sure in execution. He successfully masters anything he undertakes, is of a kindly disposition, large in stature and in heart. There is nothing small or mean in his make up. He is a broad-gauge, level-headed man, of strong personality, and without apparent effort soon takes the place of leader by the mutual consent of all with whom he is associated. Willing to work in the ranks and do his part, he always finds himself leading, without any apparent opposition, all being willing to award him the highest honor if he will accept it. Serving as a Director in the Louisville Board of Trade for several years, he was unanimously placed in the Presidency later, and carried on a progressive fight for the merchants and manufacturers of Louisville until 1889 when he felt that the interests of the Board of Trade would be best subserved by bringing new material to the front.

While President of the Louisville Board of Trade he re-organized the Louisville Legion, known as the 1st Kentucky Regiment after its return from Cuba, and whereas he sought to place someone older than himself, and better versed in military affairs, at the head, he was unanimously elected Colonel; but only accepted the honor temporarily, as a matter of duty.

It so happened that after acceptance of the Colonelcy, the troublesome times of 1889 and 1900 made it necessary for his Regiment to be on duty at Frankfort, Kentucky, for sometime, and while there he did much to maintain order and protect the property of the Commonwealth, using his influence to prevent lawlessness and breaches of the peace, and his quiet ability and determination were manifest at all times during the excitement incident to the contest waging between the violent members of both political parties during that important epoch in the history of Kentucky.

During the Gold and Silver Campaign Colonel Mengel did much to influence the workingmen of Louisville in adhering to the gold standard by writing a very attractive booklet, which became very popular, and was used by the thousands by manufacturers in Louisville and elsewhere for distribution among workingmen. The book embraced eight pages and was popularly received. At present Colonel Mengel is President of the Pendennis Club of Louisville, the largest social club in the South, and essentially representative in its personnel; and he is a member of the Salmagundi Club, a literary club that has been in existence for nearly half a century. He is also a member of the Louisville Board of Water Works, and at one time was connected with the Louisville Board of Sinking Fund Commissioners. These offices he only accepted in the interest of the city after election or appointment.

In connection with industrial enterprises of an exceptionally broad scope and importance, Colonel Mengel has gained marked prominence and success, and is numbered among the essentially representative business men of the Kentucky metropolis. He is engaged largely in the manufacture of boxes, and in the exploiting of mahogany, being the president of one large concern, doing the largest box business in the world, and vice-president of another, handling more mahogany lumber than any other concern in the country, and the only company that exploits its own wood in foreign countries. The operations of the latter company extend all over the world, but its most extensive operations are on the West Coast of Africa, and in Yucatan, in Mexico. Colonel Mengel is a Director of the National Bank of Kentucky, the largest bank south of the Ohio River, and one of the most important in the country.

Charles Christopher Mengel was born in the City of Gloucester, Essex county, Massachusetts, on the 29th day of October, 1856, being a son of Charles C. and Jane (Potter) Mengel—the former a native of Gera, Kingdom of Saxony, Germany, and the latter a native of Massachusetts, but of Scotch parentage. The father was a man of affairs in his country, and was the first man in this country to export seed leaf tobacco, after having introduced it here. The family has been identified for generations with the manufacture of woolen goods at Gera, Saxony, the business having been founded by Michael Mengel in the 16th century.

Colonel Mengel received a public school education at Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Kentucky in the year 1875, where he was employed in manufacturing plug tobacco. In 1877 he engaged in the manufacture of boxes, later taking up the manufacture of lumber also, until at present his interests in the box line consume more lumber than almost any other one interest in the United States.

In Yucatan the interests with which he is connected operate a railroad thirty miles in length, and the various branches of the Box Company (where they get out their own timber) operate railroads and use all of the most modern machinery for cutting the trees into logs, and the logs into lumber, etc.

On the 12th of January, 1882, was solemnized the marriage of Colonel Mengel and Miss Emily Mason Tryon, who was born and reared in Louisville, and was the daughter of the late Captain Frank Tryon, who was killed at the battle of Stone River, after his release as a prisoner when General Simon Bolivar Buckner surrendered Fort Donelson to the Federals. The Colonel has five children: —Julia Morsell Mengel, who is the wife of Dr. Cuthbert Thompson, of Louisville; Jane Potter Mengel, the wife of Arthur Dwight Allen, of Louisville; Charles C. Mengel, Jr., who married Miss Mary Anderson Kelly, daughter of Colonel Robert Kelly; Emily T. Mengel, and Frank Tryon Mengel, who still remain at the parental home.