NIC’s FOUNDING FATHER – Moritz Brakemeyer – PART 1
How many of you have ever heard the name Moritz Brakemeyer? How many know anything about his connection with North Idaho College? I would guess there are not many of you.
The truth is that Moritz Brakemeyer played a pivotal part in the history of the college and is worth learning more about. For that reason, he is the subject of the next two “Moving History Forward” installments.
Moritz Arthur Brakemeyer was born Dec. 7, 1888, in the little village of Louisa, Iowa, to church minister Gustavus Brakemeyer and his wife, Hulda.
As a member of a traveling preacher’s family, Moritz spent a good portion of his youth moving around Iowa and Nebraska. He graduated from high school in Germantown, Neb., and began college at Doane Academy in Crete, Neb., but dropped out. He then transferred to Redfield College in Redfield, S.D., where he was awarded a bachelor of arts degree in 1911.
In the fall of 1911, Brakemeyer was hired to teach in Inman, Neb. While there, he fell in love with the school’s intermediate-level teacher, Bessie Thompson, and they married in April of 1912.
His second teaching stop was at Sholes, Neb., where Moritz and Bessie welcomed their first child, Lois. There followed a string of teaching jobs in small Nebraska towns — none lasting more than three years — where Brakemeyer developed a reputation as a highly respected educator.
The arrival of a second child, Moritz Doane while in Selby, S.D., led Moritz to take a position at his alma mater, Redfield College. After teaching English there for several terms, Moritz and his family moved to Minnesota, where he resumed teaching public school while earning a master's degree from Hamline University. Notably, Brakemeyer also claimed he earned a doctorate from the Minnesota College of Education, but there is no record he attended that school or earned such a degree.
Moritz left Minnesota around 1923 and began selling textbooks. His new job brought the family west to Coeur d’Alene in 1924, where they bought a home at 1017 Sherman Ave. and established a home base for his book sales.
At some point in his career, Brakemeyer had learned of the growing junior college movement, and he began in early 1933 to actively advocate for one in Coeur d’Alene. He lobbied the chamber of commerce, other civic groups and the University of Idaho, easily winning their support.
A group of 10 influential businesspeople formed a Coeur d’Alene Junior College committee and incorporated as a nonprofit. They found a home for its classroom at City Hall, recruited students and gained approval from the State Department of Education.
With Moritz’s leadership, registration took place and classes began Sept. 19, only three months after starting the effort to create the school. It is not surprising that the college’s board named him its first president when the time came.
In the second installment of the story, we will learn about the college’s first two years, the shock of President Brakemeyer’s sudden departure, and what became of the man thereafter.
So, stay tuned.
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The Museum of North Idaho at 115 Northwest Blvd. is temporarily closed. Arrangements are being made to open a temporary facility in the Old Roxy Theater building. Booking of weddings at the Ft. Sherman chapel or the purchasing of books from the bookstore can be accomplished by calling 208-664-2448 or visiting the webpage at museumni.org.
View of the office and third-floor classrooms of North Idaho College at Coeur d’Alene City Hall, Circa 1935.