Robert C. Kammerer

Biography

Robert C. Kammerer was born in New York City on September 12, 1856. His father was a successful silk merchant, and Robert received his early business training under his father's guidance. When the opportunity arose to buy the controlling interest in the firm of George Steck and Company, he retired from the silk business in 1886 to devote himself to pianos, a trade he found more congenial. The text describes him as universally regarded as a friend, frequently called upon to take a leading part in public affairs, and as having enjoyed a successful thirty-year business career without ever seeking the limelight -- a modesty said to be seldom found. From Spillane (1890): Robert C. Kammerer became a prominent stockholder in Steck & Company following George Steck's retirement in January 1887. Alongside George Nembach and Fred Dietz, he took over management of the firm, handling its correspondence and financial affairs.

Highlights

• Born in New York City on September 12, 1856, son of a successful silk merchant
• Purchased the controlling interest in George Steck and Company in 1886, leaving the silk trade for pianos
• Built a successful thirty-year business career noted for modesty
• Became a prominent stockholder in Steck & Company after George Steck's 1887 retirement
• Handled correspondence and financial affairs of the firm

Sources

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. II (1913), p. 114.

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 236.

Public domain.