Martin Kalbfleisch

Martin Kalbfleisch (February 8, 1804 – February 12, 1873) was a Dutch pioneer in the chemical industry. He later became the mayor of the city of Brooklyn, New York.

During the American Civil War, Kalbfleisch served as a United States representative from New York. He was a member of the U.S. House for one term, from 1863 to 1865, helping to guide the country through a difficult time.

Early life

Martin Kalbfleisch was born in Flushing, Netherlands. He went to public schools and learned about chemistry. When he was eighteen, he traveled with an American captain to trade in Sumatra, but he came back because of a sickness called cholera. Later, he worked with an American in business in Le Havre, France, for four years.

Immigration to the United States

Martin Kalbfleisch moved to the United States and settled in New York City in 1826. He worked in making and selling paints. In 1844, he started a chemical factory in Greenpoint. Later, he served as Town Supervisor of Bushwick from 1852 to 1854. He tried to become mayor of the City of Brooklyn in 1854 but was not successful. He was an alderman in Brooklyn from 1855 to 1861 and then became mayor from 1862 to 1864.

Later life

Martin Kalbfleisch was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Congress, serving from March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865. During this time, he voted against the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. After his term in Congress, he attended an important meeting in Philadelphia in 1866 and later served again as mayor of Brooklyn from 1867 to 1871. He tried to be re-elected but did not succeed, and then he stopped taking an active role in public life. Kalbfleisch passed away in Brooklyn and was buried at Green-Wood Cemetery.