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William H. Blumer

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The Resume

    (September 12, 1812-August 18, 1884)
    Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania
    Banker, Businessman and Publisher
    Descendant of Revolutionary War hero Rev. Abraham Blumer
    Went bankrupt trying to cover up loan fraud at his bank

Why he might be annoying:

    Blumer’s family was one of Pennsylvania’s wealthiest families following the Revolutionary War.
    He was a very successful businessman, banker and investor.
    In 1876, he ran for the House of Representatives and lost.
    In 1879, he left bank loan applications signed in advance on his desk. An employee signed his own name to them, claimed the money was his, and bankrupted the bank in the process.
    He embezzled investment money from one of his businesses to pay off the bank loans, and he was arrested and convicted of embezzlement.
    The money he embezzled came from the estate of a dead friend that was left in his care.
    He took the employee to the Supreme Court to negate the loans, but because the applications were signed by him, they were legally binding.

Why he might not be annoying:

    His grandfather, Rev. Abraham Blumer, hid the Liberty Bell in his church for a year during the Revolutionary War.
    He was named an honorary citizen of Glarus, Switzerland, for helping immigrants from that city settle in America. His descendants are also honorary citizens by official decree.
    He was a successful publisher of popular books translated into German for immigrants.
    He personally paid off the embezzlement and bank loan losses, which left him bankrupt.
    The rest of the Blumer family effectively shunned him out of embarrassment, even to the point of being left off family histories.
    After paying his debts, the only property his family possessed was a Nebraska farm that his son purchased as an investment—instead, William and his family moved there in exile. He and his family turned it into a success.
    It wasn’t until the 1990’s that the Blumer family made an attempt to include his descendants in the family geneology.

Credit: BrotherGrem


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 0% Annoying