Michael Diversey Explained

Birth Date:10 December 1810
Spouse:Angela
Occupation:Beer brewery owner
Office:Chicago Alderman[1]
Predecessor:Morgan L. Keith
Successor:Benjamin Carpenter
Alongside:Samuel McKay (1856–1857)
Philip Conley (1857–1857)
Term Start:1856
Term End:1858
Constituency:6th Ward
Predecessor1:George W. Dole/ J. Marback
Successor1:Mahlon D. Ogden/ Richard C. Ross
Alongside1:Buckner Stith Morris (1844)
James H. Rees (1844–1845)
Term Start1:1844
Term End1:1845
Constituency1:6th Ward

Michael Diversey (born Diversy as shown on his grave in St. Boniface Catholic Cemetery in Chicago; December 10, 1810 – December 12, 1869) was an American beer brewer, owner of the Diversey Beer Brewery. Diversey was an immigrant from Illingen, Kingdom of Prussia. He landed in the US in 1830, and went into partnership with English immigrant William Lill around 1841. The company changed its name and became the Lill & Diversey Brewery, also known simply as The Chicago Brewery. It was destroyed in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire

Michael Diversey was a philanthropist. He was also a Chicago alderman (1844–45; 1856–1868). During the 1850s, Diversey was active in the antiprohibitionist crusade that sought to repel the influence of temperance reformers who attempted to ban the sale and manufacture of alcohol.[2]

The Diversey Parkway in Chicago is named after him.St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Chicago was built on land donated to the parish by Michael Diversey, and the choice of 'Michael' in the name was in honor of him too.[3] Until 1885, St. Michael’s was the tallest building in Chicago.

Michael Diversey was married to Angela Diversy (June 10, 1810 – November 9, 1883). Oil portraits of Michael and Angela Diversy are in the collection of the Chicago History Museum.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office. . December 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052355/http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm . September 4, 2018 . dead .
  2. Volk, Kyle G. (2014). Moral Minorities and the Making of American Democracy. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 167, 173. .
  3. https://www.st-mikes.org/our-history