Origins & Early Life

Friedrich (Frederick) Weyerhäuser (November 21, 1834 – April 4, 1914), also spelled Weyerhaeuser, was a German-American timber mogul and founder of the Weyerhaeuser Company, which owns sawmills, paper factories, and other business enterprises as well as large areas of forested land in the northern United States. In 2007, he was rated by Forbes as the eighth-richest American of all time, with a net worth of $85 billion in 2006 dollars. He was known as the "timber-king of the Northwest". Friedrich was one of 11 children of Johann Weyerhäuser and his wife.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The family supported itself by working a 15-acre (6.1 ha) farm and a 3-acre (1.2 ha) vineyard near Nieder-Saulheim in the independent Grand Duchy of Hesse. Friedrich started attending the Lutheran school at Nieder-Saulheim when he was 6, and at age 8 began helping on the farm. When he was 12, his father died, and Friedrich had to give up most of his studies to help out on the farm. The Revolutions of 1848 in Germany prompted several members of his family to emigrate as Forty-Eighters to western Pennsylvania in the United States. They sent back glowing letters describing the conditions and opportunities they found in...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• André Masséna — Shared historical date (04-04 · Died) (1817): French Marshal renowned for victories in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
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• 1914 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1914
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