Henry's History
From the US Junior Chamber Foundation - Keep my voice steady and strong, the 28-year-old reminded himself as he approached the podium to address the representatives from 30 cities gathered in front of him. He had practiced public speaking for years by imitating voice recordings of renowned orators. He was good at it.
He'd have to be good to convince his audience that they could turn his dream into reality. The words came forward with confidence and passion. He outlined his vision to the delegates. They listened quietly, intently. In your hands lies the destiny of a great organization," the young man told them, his voice starting to rise with energy. "Let us build it to national recognition.
Let us organize it in the interest of the young men for a greater America." He paused. "Let us not fail in this task!" The hall erupted in ovation. It was January 21, 1920, and young Henry Giessenbier Jr. had just launched a national movement that would dramatically change and touch the very core of America for decades to come. The United States Junior Chamber of Commerce was on its way.
Knowledge is important, but as the life of Henry Giessenbier Jr. proved, vision can lead to lasting success. For a young man, living in St. Louis at the turn of the 20th century prsented both excitement and opportunity. Twenty million people from around the world had converged on the nation's fifth largest city in 1904 to attend the grandly successful Louisiana Purchase Exposition. This was the world's fair that introduced the ice cream cone to the masses.
The population of St. Louis was woven with many diverse cultural threads. Russian Jews, Irish, Italians, Hungarians, Austrians, Poles, and a scattering of Czechs, Swiss, Greeks, English and Canadians, all contributed to the quality of life in the city. The Germans, however, predominated the second-generation ethnic groups and firmly established themselves in the business and political arenas.
The son of a German father and a kind-hearted mother was to rise out of this tapestry with a vision that would lead to the establishment of the world's foremost organization for young people. Henry Giessenbier was to create the structure that would motivate young adults in locales across the country (and later, around the world) to blend their voices to create improvements in themselves and their communities.
Giessenbier was 12 years old at the time of the world's fair and destined to be a school drop-out. By the time he was 13, he was working as an assistant to a photographer. Three years later, he embarked on a career in banking, initially serving as a messenger boy for the International Bank of St. Louis, and frequently remaining at the bank until midnight to study bookkeeping and other subjects.
Two years into his profession, at the age of 18 in 1910, Giessenbier showed his first spark of organizational activity, forming the Herculaneum Dancing Club, a social club with a simple purpose: "To form a closer and more pleasant relationship among the members and concentrate their effort for higher and better ideals and social standing." This desire to bring about improvement from action was to be "Hy" Giessenbier's hallmark as he established additional organizations for young men in succeeding years.
Matthew Ungerman, a man who joined every organization Giessenbier founded, said the dancing clubs were a response to the urges of the time. "To those who...had to make their fun at home...there had to be some sort of activity, some outlet for the energies of the youth."
Even as the St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce continued to grow, both in terms of membership and importance in the community, some members had bigger plans in mind. By October 23, 1919, Henry Giessenbier was leading a committee to call a caucus for the formation of a national Junior Chamber.
St. Louis members had enthusiastically spread the news of their organization while off to war and, as a result, qustions began pouring in from all over the country about how to form similar groups. A pamphlet describing the "St. Louis Plan" was sent in response and caucus invitations were issued to all existing young men's groups. When the proceedings opened in St. Louis on January 21, 1920, 30 cities were represented. With the adoption of a provisional constitution until a convention could be held in June, and the election of officers, the national Junior Chamber movement was born.
The caucus-adopted constitution permitted wide latitude for member groups in regard to age of members and the name of their organizations. Names varied greatly from the Strollers Club and the Young Men's Business Club of New Orleans to the Under Forty Division of the Detroit Board of Commerce. Some clubs accepted men in their 40s, while others welcomed teenagers. These points would cause controversy and debate for years to come.
Giessenbier won election as provisional president of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (USJCC) by acclamation, and was joined by other officers from St. Louis; El Paso and Dallas Texas; Terre Haute, Indiana; and Springfield, Massachusetts. See more at the US Junior Chamber Foundation> |
