Augustus J. Lauenstein

NJGenWeb ~ Morris County, New Jersey

Source: History Morris County New Jersey, Volume II, Lewis Publishing Co., 1914

Ideas backed with indefatigable energy, the desire and power to accomplish big things, these qualities make of success not an accident but a logical result. The man of initiative is he who combines with a capacity for hard work an indomitable will. This type of man recognizes no such thing as failure and his final success is on a parity with his well directed efforts. For the past fifteen years Augustus J. LAUENSTEIN, who is a business man of tremendous energy and unusual ability, has been a resident of Dover, New Jersey, and here he is now secretary and treasurer of the General Contracting & Reality Company.

Mr. LAUENSTEIN was born in Springfield, New Jersey, April 1, 1869, son of William and Susan (McMANUS) LAUENSTEIN, the former a native of Germany and the latter of whom was born in Ireland. The father immigrated to America about the year 1850 and became a prominent farmer in Union county, New Jersey. He died April 11, 1913, at the venerable age of eighty-eight years, and his wife passed away in 1910, aged eighty years. Mr. and Mrs. William LAUENSTEIN had six children, namely:

Catherine,
Henry,
Charles,
Suzanne,
Augustus J.,
James.

The second youngest in a family of six children, Augustus J. LAUENSTEIN was reared to maturity at Springfield, New Jersey, where he attended public school until he reached his eighteenth year. At the time, in 1887, he became interested in the accident insurance business in New York City and was employed during the ensuing ten years. From 1897 until 1910 he was engaged in the life insurance business and for eight years was superintendent of the Dover branch of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. In 1913 he resigned his position in that company to engage in business for himself in his home town being financially interested in the General Contracting & Reality Company of Dover. He is secretary and treasurer of this corporation, which controls a large business throughout Morris county.

Mr. LAUENSTEIN is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks at Dover and with the Knights of Columbus. His interest in political questions is deep and sincere and he gives an earnest support to the Democratic principles, believing that the platform of that party contains the best elements of good government. He is a member of the board of education at Dover and is ever on the qui vive to do all in his power to further the progress and improvement of his home city and county. In religious matters he is a devout communicant of the Catholic Church.

October 30, 1901, was solemnized the marriage of Mr. LAUENSTEIN to Elizabeth CONLAN, daughter of John and Julia (FOLEY) CONLAN. Mr. CONLAN is deceased and his widow is now the wife of Edward KELLY, a sketch of whose career appears elsewhere in this work.

Mrs. LAUENSTEIN has one sister and two brothers:
Mary,
Thomas,
John.

Two children have come to bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. LAUENSTEIN, namely:

Edward J. and
Julia M.,

both of whom are at the parental home.

This biography was transcribed by John Cresseveur (1949-2003).