Biographies
GEORGE ALEXANDER GUTSCH
GEORGE ALEXANDER GUTSCH, one of the old pioneers of Hancock, Houghton County, Michigan, proprietor of the Hotel Gutsch, and one of the best known citizens of Houghton County, was born in Germany in 1821 and came to the United States in 1853. After spending six months in New York he went as far west as Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and was engaged there as cooper in a brewery.
Mr. Gutsch located in Houghton, Houghton County, first in 1858, being interested in a saloon business for a considerable period. He then visited Leavenworth, Kansas, and Chicago, Illinois, and decided that the Northern Peninsula offered better business opportunities, and located again at Houghton in a restaurant and confectionery business, remaining in the village from 1865 to 1869. For the following five years he engaged in a hotel business at L'Anse, Baraga County, returning then for one year to Houghton, going then for the two succeeding years to L'Anse. In 1877 he returned to Houghton County, taking up his residence in Hancock, where he entered upon a hotel and saloon business, opening up the Hotel Gutsch, which long remained the best and most high priced hostelry in the city. Although he has reached his 82d year, he is still at the head of this hotel, conducting it with old time vigor and carefully providing for the comfort and entertainment of his guests.
Mr. Gutsch obtained his education in the schools of Germany. He belonged to the party of revolutionists of 1849 and was exiled by the German government. In 1854, in New York, he married Theresa Martin, who was also born in Germany, and still survives, aged 76 years. Their family consists of one son and five daughters. They belong to the Catholic Church. Until the campaign of 1896 Mr. Gutsch had always been a Democrat, but he then cast his vote for William McKinley. There are few men in Hancock who have witnessed more stirring events in the early settlement of the locality than has Mr. Gutsch, and his reminiscences are both entertaining and valuable to the collector of local history.
SOURCE: Biographical Record: This Volume Contains Biographical
Sketches of Leading ...
by Biographical publishing company, Chicago, Biographical Publishing
Company, Biographical Publishing Company - Houghton County (Mich.) -
published 1903