Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
RECHE, Henry C.
RECHE, Henry C. (Dubuque, IA, Oct. 7, 1859--Dubuque, IA, Dec. 9, 1931) Reche was the son of William and Louise Reche, Dubuque pioneers who once owned all the land from West 14th Street to North Grandview. Their home was located where the UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE was later built. (1)
In 1895 Reche was listed as the secretary of the NORTHERN IOWA BUILDING AND LOAN ASSOCIATION when its articles of incorporation were filed in Des Moines. (2) The company began business on January 1, 1896 in Dubuque.
Reche lived his entire life in Dubuque except for a period of about ten years. During this time, he lived in Mexico where he owned coffee and rubber plantations. In 1908 he was the president of the Marquita Company, a silver mining company which operated in Zacualpan, Mexico. According to one source, the company discovered a rich vein. (3) Associated with his mining activities, Reche and L. D. Chevalier of Dubuque patented an "ore concentrator" on December 27, 1915.
When war in Mexico broke out in 1919, Reche sold his holdings and returned to the United States. He entered college in Philadelphia and graduated from the University of Chicago to become a registered pharmacist. At one time owned drug stores in Minneapolis and Albert Lea, Minnesota; Sioux City, Iowa; and Chicago, Illinois. (4)
Reche wrote many newspaper articles and spoke frequently to groups about his experiences in Mexico. He was a charter member of the Dubuque Masonic Lodge.
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Source:
1. "Henry C. Reche Taken By Death on Wednesday," Telegraph Herald and Times Journal, Dec. 10, 1931, p. 13
2. Legislative Documents Submitted to the 27th Iowa General Assembly, Vol. 1. Des Moines: F. R. Conaway: State Printer, 1898, p. 217. Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=8Y1KAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA217&lpg=PA217&dq=HENRY+C.+RECHE+%28DUBUQUE%29&source=bl&ots=ycgGj2ESXR&sig=2DaErdabYAEEHjd52fKfHessZjg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tElJU97pCbPlsATnpYG4Cw&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=HENRY%20C.%20RECHE%20%28DUBUQUE%29&f=false
3. The Mexican Mining Journal Vol. VII, Mexico City, Mexico, July 1908, p. 28. Online: http://books.google.com/books?id=u90-AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA28&lpg=RA4-PA28&dq=HENRY+C.+RECHE+%28DUBUQUE%29&source=bl&ots=BgqHzI490j&sig=TZ90T_71IuMh_lp3c5f2ctCTL3c&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tElJU97pCbPlsATnpYG4Cw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=HENRY%20C.%20RECHE%20%28DUBUQUE%29&f=false
4. "Henry C. Reche..."
