George Kuehl (GK)

Geo. Kuehl & Company, based in Chicago, Illinois, was a major importer of clocks from Germany into the United States. Their offerings included mantel, wall clocks, 400-Day clocks¹ and novelty clocks from makers such as Gustav Becker, Junghans, HAC,² and others. However, they are best known for their cuckoo clocks, which they initially imported but later began manufacturing themselves using clock cases and movements imported directly from the Black Forest of Germany.

Company History

The company was founded in 1878 as Geo. Kuehl & Bro.³ by George C. J. Kuehl⁴, a German immigrant. By 1891, the business had grown successful enough to be incorporated.⁵ At least through 1896, it was marketed as an importer of billiard cloth and supplies.⁶ By 1894, it had begun advertising clocks, silverware, and jewelry,⁷ and by 1897, the company was engaged in large-scale importation of Black Forest cuckoo and quail clocks, importing as many as 10–15 cases of 24 cuckoo/quail clocks each week during the holiday gift-giving season.⁸

Geo. Kuehl & Co. was a family-run business, employing George’s brother Theodore Kuehl, who became a partner in 1903, when the company changed its name to George Kuehl & Co.⁹ It also employed at least two other family members, one of which was George’s son, L.T. Kuehl whom assumed the role of company representatives while George and Theodore traveled¹⁰ to their factories in Schonach and Hornberg in the Black Forest (Baden-Schwarzwald), Germany.¹¹

In 1910, due to declining health, George sold his interest in the business to Theodore,¹² and the company was renamed the Kuehl Clock Company.¹¹ It continued under Theodore’s management for another 13 years.⁴ George Kuehl, born in 1852, died at the age of 69 on April 17, 1921,⁴ and Theodore Kuehl, born in Germany in 1865, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 57 less than a year later, on February 11, 1922.⁴ The business was officially dissolved on May 1, 1926.¹³

Recognition and Locations

The company won numerous awards for its wall cuckoo clocks, including gold medals at the 1898 Omaha Exposition¹⁴ and the 1904 St. Louis Exposition.¹⁵ Other advertised awards included Chicago (1893), Paris (1900), and Seattle (1909).¹¹ A 1909 Jewelers’ Circular advertisement stated:

“The carvings of all our Cuckoo Clocks are made of genuine American walnut. Each Clock has a patent attachment so that the hands can be turned backwards without damaging the Clock or bringing the Clock out of strike.”²

Over the years, the company operated from several Chicago addresses. It began at 184 E. Randolph St.,³ and by the time of Theodore’s death, the company was listed at 125 N. Wabash Ave.⁵ Other known locations included 232–234 Randolph St.,¹⁶ 178 Randolph St.,¹⁵ an office and warehouse at 80–82 Wabash Ave.,¹¹ and a warehouse at 123–125 N. Wabash Ave., which was completely destroyed by fire in 1916.¹⁷

Additional Notable Facts

• In their early years, the company frequently advertised in the Abendpost,⁷ a German-language newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, and later on in the Chicago Daily Tribune and jewelers periodicals such as the Jewelers’ Circular and The Keystone.
• In 1904, George Kuehl celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary,¹⁰ to wife Amelie, indicating that he was married in 1879. They had at least three sons Ludwig, George and Herbert Kuehl,⁴ and two daughters Belle¹⁸ and Katherine¹⁹.
• In 1909, Theodore Kuehl publicly opposed proposed tariff changes and the requirement to label the country of origin on clock dials.²⁰
• Also in 1909, the company obtained exclusive American distribution rights for Globe Clocks.²¹ These clocks featured a 30-hour lever movement and a rotating globe mounted atop the case that completed one full revolution every 24 hours. The globe could be used to determine the time in any location around the world.