New Berlin in Waukesha County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Childhood Home of Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil (1876-1949)

Photographed By Linda Hansen, 2009

1. Childhood Home of Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil (1876-1949) Marker

Inscription. Julius P. Heil lived in this house as a boy, going to Mill Valley School and working at Winton's Store on Prospect hill. He gathered field stone for the core of this house. A poor German immigrant, Heil went on to found the Heil Company, a Manufacturer of road building equipment and bottle washer. He later was elected Governor of Wisconsin for two terms, serving from 1939 until 1943. Heil was a one-man publicity bureau for Wisconsin's dairy products. He coined the phrase “Americas' Dairy Land”. Heil was known as “Julius, the just” because economy was his watchword. He died in Milwaukee in 1949 and is buried in Wisconsin Memorial Park Cemetery.

Erected by Waukesha County Historical Society. (Marker Number 21-05.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1939.

Location. 42° 56.153′ N, 88° 9.734′ W. Marker is in New Berlin, Wisconsin, in Waukesha County. Marker is on West Julius Heil Drive, 0.2 miles west of South Racine Avenue, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 19890 W Julius Heil Dr, New Berlin WI 53146, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Cheney-Faulkner Cooper Home (approx. 0.3 miles away); Linnie Lac

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

(approx. 0.7 miles away); Park Arthur (approx. 1½ miles away); Janesville Plank Road Tollgate (approx. 2.4 miles away); Muskego Beach Amusement Park (approx. 2.4 miles away); "Do I Smell Pizza-Burgers?" (approx. 2½ miles away); Historic Muskego Centre Park (approx. 2½ miles away); The Devil's Teapot (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in New Berlin.

Additional commentary.
1. correction of facts
The Heil Company did not make road building equipment or bottle washers. It made and still makes truck bodies i.e. dump truck bodies garbage truck bodies Fuel tank trailers e.t.c.as well as solid waste disposal systems.

— Submitted March 16, 2012, by Matt Howard of Chicago, Illinois.

2. Additional History
Julius Peter Heil, former Governor of Wisconsin, was born in Duesmond an der Mosel, Germany on July 24, 1876. He came to the United States with his parents in 1881 and settled on a farm at the bottom of Prospect Hill in New

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Berlin. He attended Mill Valley School, helped his family on the farm, and clerked at the Winton store on Propect Hill.

By the time he was 14, he was an orphan and moved to Milwaukee to begin working. There, he held various jobs including selling newspapers on Milwaukee trains, firing boilers at Falk - where he apprenticed as a blacksmith - drill press operator at Milwaukee Harvester, and streetcar Conductor. While working at Falk, he was able to travel around the world, especially South America. He installed the newly patented process of welding streetcar rails, completing the new electric railway line in Buenos Aires in 1899.

In 1901 he started his own company, the Heil Company, also doing rail-joint welding. He was married and had one son who helped him with the business.

He was appointed by President Roosevelt in 1933 to head the state advisory board for the N.R.A. He was elected governor of Wisconsin in 1938 as a Republican and served two terms, from 1939-1943. During his administration, he sponsored the enactment of the state employment peace act, reorganized the welfare and tax departments, created the department of securities, and modernized the state's accounting system. He also directed liquidation of frozen assets of building and loan associations to shareholders.

He coined the phrase, America's Dairyland" and was known by some as "Julius the Just" because economy was his watchword. Julius died Nov. 30, 1949.

— Submitted September 7, 2012, by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2011, by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,407 times since then and 33 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on June 10, 2011, by Linda Hansen of Waukesha, Wisconsin. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.