All Menasha has taken personal pride in his ascent to a position in the business world where he has come to be known as a man among men."
-Charles R. Smith's eulogy
Charles R. Smith
Mr. Smith was born in 1855 in Menasha to Elisha and Julia Smith. Elisha D. Smith was the founder of Menasha Wooden Ware Company, known today as the Menasha Corporation. Charles graduated from Princeton University in 1876. He created his own broom handle business which he later merged into his father's existing business, creating the world's largest existing manufacturer of turned wooden ware. He also was a superintendent in the Menasha school system and president of the First National Bank. Charles took over the Wooden Ware Company after his father's death and revitalized and modernized it. Menasha Wooden Ware became a large-scale manufacturer of tubs, barrels, and other shipping products. He died May 12, 1916 in New York City of apoplexy after months of illness. His second wife got the town of Warner renamed Ladysmith and after Charles died, remarried silent movie actor Orrin Johnson, who retired to the house. |