THIEME, AUGUST

THIEME, AUGUST (1823-15 Dec. 1879) edited Cleveland's principal German-language newspaper, the Waechter am Erie (see WAECHTER UND ANZEIGER) for more than a quarter of a century. Born in Saxony, he received a doctorate from a German university and participated in the abortive Revolution of 1848 as a member of a rump parliament in Stuttgart. Forced into exile upon the suppression of the revolution, he spent a year writing for German newspapers in Switzerland before emigrating in 1849 to the United States. After 2 years in Buffalo, he was invited to Cleveland in 1852 to edit the newly founded Waechter am Erie. Within a year Thieme purchased the weekly himself and over the years nurtured it into a prosperous daily. As a confirmed liberal, he supported the Republican cause before the CIVIL WAR but turned against the regular party during the Grant era. He was an accomplished speaker, recognized as a leader of the city's progressive German element. Thieme's love of music was manifested in his enthusiastic support of the CLEVELAND VOCAL SOCIETY. He was elected in 1871 to serve on the first Board of Managers of the Public School Library (see CLEVELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY). Partially incapacitated from a stroke during the last 3 years of his life, Thieme was survived by his wife Pauline (Schmidt), whom he married on 17 Nov. 1853, and 2 children, Bertha and Walter.


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