60 BULLETIN OF WISCONSIN NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. VOL. 4, NOS. 1-2. 
From 1854 until 1893 he was occupied with the active affairs 
of business life. When ill health compelled him to retire he was 
succeeded by his eldest son, Ferdinand Meinecke. 
However greatly Mr. Meinecke may have contributed to the 
commercial activity of the state, a still greater claim to our respect 
is found in his warm interest in the more ideal side of the life of 
our city, as shown by his active interest in its educational institu- 
tions. He was one of the foremost in establishing, maintaining 
and developing the Englemann museum, which subsequently 
became the foundation of the Milwaukee Public Museum; and 
after this transfer had been made he was one of the most intelli- 
gent and devoted members of the Board of Trustees. His interest, 
moreover, was not limited to attendance at the meetings of the 
Board since the list of his various donations to the Museum is a 
long one. His hatred of cruelty and injustice led him to partici- 
pate in the work of the Humane Society which he served for some 
time as Vice-President. His lively interest in Natural History 
brought him into this Society and he was for many years a con- 
stant attendant at its meetings. 
It is in men like Mr. Meinecke, who are surrounded by the 
solid and tangible rewards of industry and practical power, but 
who, looking over and beyond these, are mindful of the broader 
aspects of life upon which real progress depends, that the com- 
munity finds its surest hope for the days to come. 
