San
Joaquin County
Biographies
HANS MADSEN
The proprietor of the leading
automobile business at Ripon, California, Hans Madsen is a mechanical engineer
of exceptional ability, having received a most thorough training in this line
in his native land of Denmark, where he was born at Stryno
on December 22, 1885 a son of Claus M. and Marie (Anderson) Madsen, who still
make their home at Stryno, where the father is the
owner and proprietor of a flour mill.
They are the parents of seven children:
John, a contractor and builder at Ripon, is now on a visit to his old
home in Denmark; Karen is the wife of Captain Jorgensen, a sea captain of
Aarhus, Denmark; Prof. Anders Madsen is principal of the high school at Rudkjobing, Denmark; Hans, of this sketch; Bodil resides at Los Angeles; Rasmus
is a grain dealer and owner of a flour mill at Fyen, Denmark;
Jorgen runs the mill at home.
Hans Madsen attended the schools at Stryno and at the age of fifteen he was confirmed in the
Lutheran Church. While a mere boy he
worked around his father’s mill and early became acquainted with the principles
and actual working of complicated machinery and then entered upon a four years’
apprenticeship as a machinist at Wester Aaby, and it was after this that he finished his high
school and technical training, the latter at the technical school at Randis, Denmark. He
was twenty-five years old when he passed his final examination as mechanical engineer,
a very strict examination under government supervision, requiring approximately
eight hours a day for three weeks. He
also successfully passed the examination for steam engineer in the Danish
Navy. Shortly after this he received a
stipend from the Danish government for the purpose of foreign travel to further
perfect his education, so he came to the United States in 1911, visiting leading
manufacturing centers from New York to San Francisco. After about a year’s travel he entered the
employ of the Link-Belt Company at Chicago, Illinois, as an expert locomotive
crane engineer, and was with them until 1917, when he came to Ripon, California,
where his brother, John Madsen, was located; he had visited Ripon in 1912 and
being favorably impressed with the surroundings he determined then to locate
here. He soon started in the garage as
an automobile repair man, and in 1919-1920 his brother, John Madsen, erected
the building where the Madsen Garage has since been located. Here Mr. Madsen deals in Studebaker, Overland
and Willys-Knight automobiles, besides tires, tubes, and all other auto
accessories. He also maintains an
up-to-date repair shop, which is at present leased and operated by I. A.
Goodwin, and is the leading machine shop of Ripon.
In 1916 Mr. Madsen was married at
Chicago to Miss Kristine Frederickson, a native of Denmark, and they are the
parents of two children, Ella and Paul Madsen.
In fraternal circles Mr. Madsen is a member of Mt. Horeb Lodge, No. 58,
I. O. O. F., of Ripon, and he takes a public-spirited interest in all that
concerns the welfare of the community.
Transcribed by V. Gerald Iaquinta.
Source: Tinkham, George
H., History of San Joaquin County, California , Pages
1605-1606. Los Angeles, Calif.: Historic
Record Co., 1923.
© 2012 V. Gerald Iaquinta.
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