Friedrich Trump departed his hometown of Kallstadt in 1885 at age sixteen, avoiding mandatory military service in the Kingdom of Bavaria. Upon his arrival in New York City, he began a transition from a barbering apprenticeship to a multifaceted career as an entrepreneur, hotel manager, and restaurateur that spanned multiple regions of the United States and Canada.
Early Apprenticeship and Emigration
Born in 1869 to Johannes Trump II and Katharina Kober, Trump was raised in a Lutheran village. After his father died in 1877, he spent two and a half years as an apprentice barber in Frankenthal. Facing conscription requirements and limited economic prospects in Kallstadt, he immigrated to the United States on the steamship Eider, landing at Castle Garden in New York City in October 1885. He resided initially with relatives on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, working as a barber for six years.
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In 1891, Trump relocated to Seattle to invest his savings in the Dairy Restaurant. The establishment, situated in a district known for saloons and brothels, operated as a restaurant and boarding house. He became a United States citizen in 1892. By 1894, he moved to Monte Cristo to pursue opportunities near mining operations. Rather than mining for gold, he focused on managing a boarding house, effectively providing essential services to workers in the region.
Klondike Expansion and Final Return
During the Klondike Gold Rush, Trump operated a restaurant and a brothel for miners in Whitehorse, Canada. He returned to Kallstadt in 1901 and married Elisabeth Christ. His failure to complete military service in Germany led the Bavarian government to strip him of his citizenship in 1905, forcing his permanent return to the United States. He eventually settled in Queens, New York, where he worked as a barber and hotel manager while accumulating real estate holdings until his death in 1918.
Fast facts
- Born: 1869, Kallstadt, Kingdom of Bavaria
- Died: 1918, Woodhaven, New York
- Citizenship: United States; Kingdom of Bavaria
- Occupation: Barber, entrepreneur, hotel manager, restaurateur, procurer
- Religion: Lutheranism
- Buried at: All Faiths Cemetery
- Emigration date: October 1885
- Naturalization: 1892
Questions readers ask
Why did the Bavarian government strip him of citizenship?
He left the country in 1885 without completing his mandatory military service or notifying the authorities.
What was his primary business model in the mining regions?
He operated restaurants and boarding houses to serve miners, a practice described as mining the miners.
