Paul R. Albert

        Paul R. Albert, manager of the now opera house, and a member of the wholesale firm of J. Seeman & Co., was born December 13, 1841, in France, and his father, Paul, was also a native of France. His mother, Sophia Gurhauer, was born in Berlin, Germany. When only six years of age our subject came with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, a merchant, died some time after the removal, and the mother married Dr. George Kuhlmann. Young Paul, the only son by the first marriage, was educated in the public schools and at Woodward College, Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Urbana University. His step-father wished him to prepare for a professional life, but he secretly took a commercial course preparatory to entering the business world. When his step-father decided to send him to Yale College, our subject concluded to run away from home. He engaged with a Cincinnati firm at $1.50 per week and at last arose to the chief clerkship.   Having received a better offer from a large Cincinnati firm to enter a Nashville branch of the house he came South in 1862, and such was the confidence and esteem in which he was held by the firm that he was soon taken in as a partner, and three years later was given charge of three branch houses in which he was also a partner. The failure of the Cincinnati firm involving the branch establishment swept all the fruits of his labor away, and in 1872 he came to Chattanooga, and engaged in the confectionery business with J. Seeman, on very small capital. Gradually they arose until in 1876 they began an exclusively, wholesale business as tobacconists and manufacturing confectioners. Mr. Albert is connected with the Star Jelly Works, is president of the Chattanooga Canning Company, is one of the directors of the Chattanooga Building and Savings Association, is a director of the Handel Musical Society, also of the Chickamauga Guards, is secretary of the Chattanooga Opera House Company, is Trustee of the Burris Syndicate and president of Lookout C. M. Association. He was Grand Dictator of the K. of H. for the State of Tennessee, and is now Supreme Representative of the State. He is a Mason, and a prominent officer in several benevolent fraternities besides.
Goodspeed's "History of East Tennessee" 1887