Marie Christine Kohler

Marie Christine Kohler
Born	July 13, 1876 Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Died	October 11, 1943 Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Known for	Founding of Kohler Foundation, Inc.

Marie Christine Kohler (1876 – 1943) was a member of the Kohler family of Wisconsin and was prominent in the community life of Sheboygan and Kohler, active in social work and better homes projects, and was well known for her philanthropic deeds.

Miss Kohler was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin On July 13, 1876, the fourth child of John Michael Kohler II and Elizabeth Lillie Vollrath. She was educated in the Sheboygan public schools and was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin (1901). For a number of year she taught English literature at the Sheboygan High School, and she was secretary of the Kohler Company from 1905 to 1909.

Kohler was instrumental in construction of the Waelderhaus in the Village of Kohler. It was designed by Austrian architect Kaspar Albrecht and was designed as a tribute to the tradition of Bregenzerwald (forest of Bregenz) Province of Vorarlberg, Austria. The name Waelderhaus (ger. wälderhaus) means forest house. The building was dedicated to the use of the girl scouts upon completion in 1931.

She was Instrumental in organizing the Sheboygan County Chapter of the American Red Cross in 1916, and helped to organize branches of the Red Cross and the Junior Rod Cross in the schools.

She started the Girl Scouts movement at Kohler in 1919.

Miss Kohler was one of the organizers of the American Association of University Women In 1924 and presided at its first meeting. She was president of the Wisconsin Conference of Social work at the time the state legislature passed the children's code and she was very influential in the passage of the code.

Miss Kohler was a member of then Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover's committee on house building and home ownership. Along these lines she was also state chairman of the Better Homes in America organization.

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