Kohler family of Wisconsin

Kohler
Kohler
	John Michael Kohler Walter Jodok Kohler Sr. Walter Jodok Kohler Jr.
Etymology	German: occupational name for a charcoal burner, from Middle High German kol ‘(char)coal’ + the agent suffix -er. The form Kohler is South German; elsewhere it is usually written Köhler
Place of origin	Schnepfau, Austria
Members	Herbert Kohler Jr.; John Michael Kohler; Terry Kohler; Walter J. Kohler Jr.; Walter J. Kohler Sr.;
Estate	Kohler Estate

The Kohler family of Wisconsin is a family notable for its prominence in business, society, and politics in the U.S. state of Wisconsin during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.^[1]^[2]^[3] Its members include two Governors of Wisconsin, and the founder and executives of Kohler Co., a Wisconsin-based manufacturing and hospitality company.

Background

The Kohler family traces their origin to the village of Schnepfau in Vorarlberg, Austria. The American branch is descended from Johann Michael Kohler Sr. (1805–1874), a dairy farmer, who emigrated to Minnesota in 1864 with his second wife and eight children.^[4] John Michael Kohler formed the industrial branch of the family as he moved to Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1871.^[5]

Family tree

The following chart uses a modified d'Aboville numbering. The redundant leading 1 has been omitted. The generation is shown by the number of digits in the descendant's index number.

Child
Grandchild
Great-grandchild
Great-great-grandchild

In the chart, direct descendants of John M. Kohler II are indicated with a blue or yellow background. Persons with Wikipedia biographies are indicated with a heavy border with a blue border for a deceased person and a green border for a living person.

Family tree

John Michael Kohler II
1844–1900

m1. 1871
Elizabeth Lillie Vollrath
dau. of Jacob Vollrath
1848–1883

1 Evangelina Kohler
1872–1954

2 Robert John Kohler
1873–1905

3 Walter Jodok Kohler Sr.
1875–1940

m.1900
Charlotte Schroeder
1869–1947

3.1 John Michael Kohler III
1902–1968

m.1933
Julilly House
1908–1976

3.1.1 John Michael Kohler IV
1934–

3.1.2 William Collin Kohler
1937–

3.1.3 Julilly Waller Kohler
1942–

m.1972
Charles Joseph Hausmann
1945–

3.1.3.1 Julilly Kohler-Hausmann
1975–

3.1.3.2 Issa Brooke Kohler-Hausmann
1978–

3.1.4 Marie House Kohler
1951–

3.2 Walter Jodok Kohler Jr.
1904–1976

m1.1932–1946
Marie Celeste McVoy
1900–1974

3.2.1 Terry Jodok Kohler
1934–2016

3.2.2 Charlotte Nicolette Kohler
1936–2012

m2.1948
Charlotte McAleer
1912–1995

3.3 Carl James Kohler
1905–1960

m.1925
Dorothy L. Dings
1905–1989

3.3.1 Carl James Kohler Jr
1926–1981

3.3.2 Conrad D Kohler
1929–1980

3.3.3 Walter J Kohler III
1932–1998

m1.1954
Susan Nall
1934–1988

m2.1963
Mary Riddell
1937–

3.3.4 Peter Galt Kohler
1934–2007

m2.1954
Nancy B Bahler
1935–2014

3.4 Robert Eugene Kohler Sr
1908–1990

m1.1933
Margaret Brewster Taylor
1908–1987

m2.1989
Martha Seymour Thorkelson
1909–1992

4 Marie Christine Kohler
1876–1943

5 Lillie Babette Kohler
1877–1965

6 Carl Jakob Kohler
1880–1904

m2. 1887
Wilhelmina Minnie Vollrath
dau. of Jacob Vollrath
sister of Lillie Vollrath
1852–1929

7 Herbert Vollrath Kohler Sr
1891–1968

m. 1937
Ruth Miriam DeYoung
1906–1953

7.1 Herbert Vollrath Kohler Jr.
1939–2022

m1.1961
Linda Karger
1939–2005

7.1.1 Laura Elizabeth Kohler
1962–

7.1.2 Rachel DeYoung Kohler
1963–

7.1.3 David Karger Kohler
1966–

m2.1988
Natalie Ann Black
1950–2024

7.2 Ruth DeYoung Kohler II
1941–2020

7.3 Frederick Cornell Kohler
1943–1998

List of notable members

Chronological by birth:

John Michael Kohler II (1844–1900), patriarch
Walter Jodok Kohler Sr. (1875–1940), son
Marie Christine Kohler (1876–1943), daughter
Walter Jodok Kohler Jr. (1904–1976), grandson
Julilly House (1908–1976), granddaughter-in-law
Terry Jodok Kohler (1934–2016), great-grandson
Herbert Vollrath Kohler Jr. (1939–2022), grandson
Marie House Kohler (born 1951), great-granddaughter
David Karger Kohler (born 1966), great-grandson

References

^ "The World's Billionaires". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
^ "The 10 Most Generous Families". Town and Country Magazine. April 7, 2013. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
^ Fossedal, Gregory A. (2003). Kohler: A Political Biography of Walter J. Kohler, Jr. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0-7658-0192-2.
^ "Johann Michael Kohler". Austria in USA. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
^ "Kohler, John Michael 1844 - 1900". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 8, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2025.

[1] "The World's Billionaires". Forbes. Archived from the original on April 2, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.

[2] "The 10 Most Generous Families". Town and Country Magazine. April 7, 2013. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.

[3] Fossedal, Gregory A. (2003). Kohler: A Political Biography of Walter J. Kohler, Jr. Transaction Publishers. ISBN 0-7658-0192-2.

[4] "Johann Michael Kohler". Austria in USA. Retrieved September 5, 2025.

[5] "Kohler, John Michael 1844 - 1900". Wisconsin Historical Society. August 8, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2025.

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[2]

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Background

Family tree

List of notable members

See also

References