Los Angeles County
Biographies
CHRISTAIN
2D. HENNE (Deceased)
HENNE, CHRISTAIN, 2D., (Deceased), Mining and Mechanical Engineer, Los Angeles, California, was born in that city February 20, 1874, the son of Christian Henne and Helena (Buehn) Henne. He married Miss Jane Louise Greenop of Liverpool, England, in October, 1904, and to them there was born a son, Christopher Henne, 3d. Mr. Henne was a brother-in-law of R. A. Rowan, also of Nat Wilshire, both prominent in the affairs of Los Angeles. His family, which originally came to the United States from Germany, is one of the noted pioneer families of Los Angeles, its members having played an important part in the early development and history-making of the Southern California metropolis. His grandfather was George Friedrich Henne and his grandmother Anna Barbara Weick.
His father was a pioneer business man of Los Angeles in the early stages of its development and the owner of a considerable amount of real estate in what is now the heart of the business district of that city. Mr. Henne was born on property that has since become the site of the Citizens’ National Bank Building, at the corner of Third and Main streets, Los Angeles, the very center of commercial activity, at this time (1913). In the days when Mr. Henne was a boy, however, that neighborhood was the aristocratic residence district of Los Angeles. In those days there lived along what is now the business part of Main street such old Los Angeles families as the Hellmans, the Kerckhoffs, the Motts, the Governor Downey family, the Dominguez family, the Tom Rowans, the Maxwells and many others. The trend of business toward the South and Southwest has caused the passing of these landmarks which have been replaced by modern business structures and little idea can be had of the hospitable homes that but a few short years ago gave way in the process of the city’s transformation from yesterday into today.
Mr. Henne received his preliminary education in the public schools of Los Angeles, after which he took a course in a business college. He was then fourteen years of age and was sent to Europe for technical training. In 1892, after four years of study, he was graduated with a degree from Technikum Mittweida, an old-established and celebrated engineering school of Saxony, after which he returned to his home in Los Angeles.
The year following his return from his European studies, Mr. Henne enrolled as a student in Leland Stanford, Jr., University, taking up the mechanical engineering course, and was graduated in the class of 1897 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Not satisfied with the knowledge he had already gained, he went to New York City for the purpose of perfecting his education and there took post-graduate work in the famous engineering department of Columbia University, being awarded the degree of Engineer of Mines in 1900.
Thus splendidly equipped, Mr. Henne returned to California and immediately engaged in the active work of his profession. He was regarded as one of the able men in his line and for the first two years after he left Columbia University was busily engaged as a Consulting Engineer in Los Angeles and other parts of the West, where scientific mining methods were being employed in the development of the country’s resources. In 1902, when he was entering upon a brilliant career, Mr. Henne’s health began to fail and he was compelled to give up his professional work to a considerable extent.
Mr. Henne then began traveling in the hope of regaining his health and for the last four years of his life resided at various times in Arizona, Colorado and California. His search was in vain, however, and although he was possessed of wealth sufficient to satisfy his every need, death claimed him, on the twelfth day of December, 1906.
Mr. Henne was a man of fine instincts, and travel in various parts of the world had made him one of the most cultured and polished men of his day. Before becoming a student at Leland Stanford, Jr., University he had traveled to all parts of the globe, not as a tourist or sightseer, but as a student of the countries he visited and their peoples. For instance, he spent considerable time living in China and Japan. He lived among the natives of those interesting countries and in this way learned their languages and their ways of living.
Mr. Henne was a linguist of note, and could speak, besides English, the languages of France, Germany, Spain, China, and Japan, and also had mastered the Chinook Indian tongue. He was a deep student of the literature and customs of these different peoples.
He was of an inventive turn of mind and during his school days and later, during his business life, spent much of his time perfecting machinery of his own design. Because of his thorough training in the United States, and Europe his advice was frequently sought by fellow members of the engineering profession on matters of importance, and he was generally recognized as one of the leading members of the profession, as well as an engineer of great future promise, at the time of his death.
Mr. Henne was popular among his fellows, and his death, coming as it did when he was approaching the prime of life, was a shock to his numerous friends.
He was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity of Columbia University, and also belonged to the University Club of San Francisco and the California Club of Los Angeles.
Transcribed by Joyce Rugeroni.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 763,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2011 Joyce
Rugeroni.
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