Born near Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, Weisse attended the public schools and St. Paul Lutheran School. At age 14, he went to work at his father's tannery business, and, at age 22, he became a partner in the business, known as Chas. S. Weisse & Co., tanniers and furriers.[1][2] His brothers were also partners in the company; Charles, as the eldest living brother, became president of the company after their father's death. During his life, the Weisse tannery was a major employer in Sheboygan Falls.[3]
Weisse ran again in the new district in 1902. He faced a contest for the Democratic nomination at the 6th congressional district convention. His chief opponents were former congressman Owen A. Wells of Fond du Lac, James E. Malone of Dodge County, and Henry Blank of Washington.[7] The convention deadlocked for three days, but on the 26th ballot, the chairman of the Dodge County delegation, Michael E. Burke, urged the delegates to come to a compromise; to demonstrate his sincerity he and the Dodge County delegates cast their votes for Weisse. After Burke spoke, all the other remaining convention delegates also cast their votes for Weisse, and he was nominated unanimously.[8] In the general election, Weisse was a vocal critic of the Dingley Act tariffs, and pledged to seek adjustments. He prevailed in the general election with 52% of the vote over the incumbent secretary of state William Froehlich. Weisse carried every county in the district and became the only Democratic member of Wisconsin's congressional delegation to the 58th United States Congress.[6]
Weisse went on to win re-election three times, serving from March 4, 1903, to March 3, 1911.[4] In 1910, Weisse announced he would decline renomination to Congress and instead sought the Democratic nomination for United States Senate.[9][10] U.S. senators were still elected by the state legislature in 1910, so although Weisse received the Democratic nomination, Robert M. La Follette was easily re-elected by the overwhelmingly Republican 50th Wisconsin Legislature.[11]
During his time in Congress, he also served as delegate from Wisconsin to the Democratic National Conventions in 1904 and 1908. During the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Weisse took a leading role in crafting the party platform. The Chicago Tribune described him efforts as "neither a radical nor a conservative, but endeavor[ing] to produce a platform upon which the whole Democratic party could go before the people."[1]
Later years
After leaving office, Weisse devoted most of his time to his business and civic interests.[1] In his last year in office, he also became a partner in the ownership of The Sheboygan Press, the main newspaper in the Sheboygan area.[12] His investment enabled the paper to purchase new machinery and facilities to modernize the newspaper's production process.[1][13]
On September 30, 1919, a catastrophic fire destroyed the entire Chas. S. Weisse & Co. factory in Sheboygan Falls, destroying an estimated $150,000 worth of property and inventory (about $5 million adjusted for inflation to 2024).[14] After the fire, only one wall of the factory was left standing. Weisse participated in an inspection of the ruined building on October 8, 1919, with several of his employees. During the inspection, a strong gust of wind caused the remaining brick wall to collapse on the team. Weisse suffered a head wound and died within minutes. Two other men died, six were injured.[1]
Charles H. Weisse was the second of six children born to Charles Samuel Weisse and his wife Wilhelmine "Minne" (née Kalenberg). Both parents were German immigrants from the Thuringia region.
Charles' elder brother, Henry, died just before his 18th birthday in 1877, leaving Charles as the eldest surviving child. His younger brothers, Louis, Otto, and Emil, were partners with him in the tannery business.[1]
Charles H. Weisse married twice. He first married Jennie Koster in 1889. They had one daughter together, but Jennie and the child both died in 1891. Weisse subsequently married Caroline H. "Lena" Kallenberg, but had no more children.[1]
His father's home at 309 Broadway Street in Sheboygan Falls is still intact and listed in the Wisconsin Historical Society's register of historically significant properties.[3]
