Hermann Oelrichs

Who was Hermann Oelrichs?

Hermann Oelrichs, was an American businessman, multimillionaire, and agent of Norddeutsche Lloyd shipping.

The grandson of a German merchant in Bremen, Oelrichs was married in 1890 to Teresa Alice Fair, daughter of United States Senator and Comstock Lode millionaire James Graham Fair. Hermann Oelrichs and his wife built the Rosecliff mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. They had one child, Hermann Oelrichs, Jr., who served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during the First World War.

Oelrichs was a member of the Democratic Party and active in New York City politics before moving to San Francisco, California. The Oelrichses played a role in the rebuilding of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake as part of the Committee of Fifty. His remains were interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in New York City.