He owned Robert H. Foerderer, Inc. which produced leather goods and invented a chrome tanning technique to create a leather product he trademarked Vici Kid.
He died in office in 1903, possibly due to chromate poisoning from his years handling chromium to perfect his chrome tanning technique.
In 1881, he married Caroline Fischer and together they had two children.[3]
Business career
Foerderer worked for a brief period as a bank clerk[1] and entered the leather industry as an apprentice at his father's morocco leather business.[4]
In 1885, he established Robert H. Foerderer, Inc., which also manufactured leather goods. Foerderer invented a chrome tanning technique for treating animal skin with chromium sulfate that resulted in a soft and supple leather for the production of handbags, shoes and gloves. His technique reduced the tanning time from four months to two to three weeks. Foerderer named his leather product Vici Kid — "Vici" being Latin for "I conquered" and "kid" referring to the goat skin used to make the leather.[5] Foerderer also partnered with the Rohm & Haas chemical company to implement the use of Oropon as a replacement for dog dung in the leather softening process.[6]
Foerderer's company began as a one-room factory in the Frankford section of Philadelphia and eventually grew to cover 17 acres.[5] The factory employed over 4,000 people and processed 50,000 skins per day.[7] His company also used the by-products of leather production to produce hide glue and goat hair for various uses. The glue plant was located in Philadelphia's Bridesburg neighborhood, and the goat-hair factory was near the leather plant.[4]
Foerderer's Vici Kid leather product won the grand prize and gold medal in a competition at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, which introduced the product to a large audience and created demand.[5]
In 1895, Foerderer purchased the summer home of Charles Macalester in the Torresdale neighborhood of Philadelphia. The estate, previously named Glengarry, was renamed Glen Foerd.[9]
Political career
Foerderer was elected in 1900 as a Republican to the 57th United States Congress as a representative for Pennsylvania's at-large congressional district. He served on the committees for banking and currency, enrolled bills and ventilation and acoustics.[4] Foerderer was re-elected in 1902 for Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district and served until his death in 1903.[10]
Death and legacy
Foederer died in 1903 while in office at his home in Torresdale.[11] He was interred in Philadelphia's Laurel Hill Cemetery.[12] It is possible that he died from chromate poisoning from his years handling chromium for his chrome tanning technique although the cause of death was listed as Bright's disease.[8]
Following Foerderer's death, Reuben Moon would be elected to fill his vacancy.[11] Foerderer's son, Percival took over management of the leather goods business and is known for building the La Ronda mansion and estate in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.
The Glen Foerd estate is currently operated as a historic house museum, and the grounds are a public park.[13]
^Halford, A.J. (1903). Official Congressional Directory. Washington: Government Printing Office. p. 101. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
^ abMajewicz, Cary. "Foerderer family papers"(PDF). www.hsp.org. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
^ abcdHill, Edwin C. (1919). The Historical Register. New York. pp. 125–126. Retrieved September 25, 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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