Edward H. Heilstedt, BiographyPorter County biographical sketches . . . .
Transcribed biography of Edward H. Heilstedt
EDWARD H. HEILSTEDT. One of the most important contributions to the industrial prestige of Valparaiso and Porter county is that made by the Chicago Mica Company, whose extensive and thoroughly modern manufacturing plant is situated in the metropolis of the county, the same being devoted to the manufacturing of electrical insulation and being one of the largest concerns of the kind in the United States. In both a direct and collateral way the extensive enterprise has been a notable and valuable acquisition to Valparaiso, and as the active executive of the business in this city Edward H. Heilstedt, who is secretary and treasurer of the company, holds a position of prominence and influence in local commercial circles, the while he is a broad-minded and public-spirited citizen who commands unequivocal confidence and esteem in the community. The Chicago Mica Company was organized and incorporated under the laws of the state of Illinois, in 1898, and the founder of the business was Milton A. Snider. In 1899 the manufacturing department of the enterprise was transferred from Chicago to Valparaiso, and here the industry has been built up to one of broad scope and importance. Employment is given to an average force of one hundred and twenty-five persons, with a monthly pay roll aggregating about thirty-five hundred dollars, so that the concern has proved valuable in furthering both the industrial and civic prosperity of the city in which it is located, its annual business having reached an averaged aggregate of about two hundred thousand dollars.
Mr. Heilstedt, the able and popular secretary and treasurer of this company, was born in the city of LaSalle, Illinois, on the 14th of February, 1878, and is a son of A. E. and Theresa Heilstedt, who are now living in LaSalle, Illinois. The father of the subject of this review has been long and prominently identified with the business activities of the city of LaSalle and as a hardware merchant he is one of the representative business men of that place.
To the public schools of his native city Edward H. Heilstedt is indebted for his early educational discipline, which was effectively supplemented by a thorough and comprehensive course of study in Brown's Business College, at Ottawa, Illinois. His active business career was initiated by his becoming associated with the retail hardware enterprise conducted by his father in the city of LaSalle, and he was identified with the same for a period of five years. In 1899 Mr. Heilstedt removed to the city of Chicago, and there, in November, 1899, he entered the employ of the Chicago Mica Company. In the following month he came to Valparaiso and assumed his duties as bookkeeper for the company, and through efficient service, in which he developed marked executive and administrative ability, he became a distinct and valued factor in the upbuilding of the business, with the result that he eventually became one of its stockholders and executive officers. In 1902 he was made secretary of the company and in the following year assumed also the position of treasurer. Of these dual offices he has since remained the able and progressive incumbent, and since 1907 he has had full charge of the manufacturing and business of the concern in Valparaiso, with incidental precedence as one of the aggressive and essentially representative young business men of the city. In politics Mr. Heilstedt is aligned as a supporter of the cause of the Republican party and he is identified with various fraternal and social organizations of representative character.
On the 6th of September, 1899, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Heilstedt to Miss Katherine Roach, daughter of John Roach, a prominent citizen of LaSalle, Illinois, and the two children of this union are Harold and Edward.
Source: Lewis Publishing Company. 1912. History of Porter County, Indiana: A Narrative Account of its Historical Progress, its People and its Principal Interests. Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company. 881 p.
Page(s) in Source: 669-671
This biography has been transcribed exactly as it was originally published in the source. Please note that we do not provide photocopies or digital scans of biographies appearing on this website.
Biography transcribed by Steven R. Shook