Ludwig Levinger Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1505-1506 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	LUDWIG LEVINGER, president and owner of the Aurora County Bank, at 
White Lake, is a native of the kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, where he was 
born on the 10th of April, 1867, being the second in order of birth of 
the four children born to Herman and Mary (Linder) Levinger. All the 
children are still living, but the subject is the only representative of 
the immediate family in the United States. He was afforded liberal 
educational advantages in the fatherland, where he remained until he had 
attained the age of seventeen years, when he decided to come to America, 
where he was convinced better opportunities were afforded for attaining 
independence and success. Accordingly, in the spring of 1883, he 
embarked for the United States, landing in New York city, whence he made 
his way to the city of Chicago, where he secured employment in a 
wholesale men's furnishing-goods house. He retained this position a few 
months, in the meanwhile sparing no pains to inform himself in regard to 
American business methods and customs, and in the summer of the same 
year he decided to seek his fortunes in the west. He located in 
Mitchell, South Dakota, where he held a clerkship in a furniture 
establishment until the spring of 1885, when he took up his residence in 
White Lake, where he secured a position in the White Lake Bank. From a 
clerical position he was soon advanced to that of cashier of the 
institution, and in this executive office he continued to render 
efficient service until 1890, when he purchased the business of the 
Aurora County Bank, the oldest monetary institution in this section, the 
san1e dating its inception back to the year 1882, and as president and 
manager of this bank he has attained a high degree of success and an 
enviable reputation in business circles. All this is the more gratifying 
to contemplate in view of the fact that he came to this country without 
capitalistic resources or influential friends and in the short period of 
twenty years has placed himself well in the forefront in the ranks of 
financiers in the great and prosperous state of South Dakota, being 
known and honored as one of the influential citizens of his county. He 
is a stalwart Republican in his political proclivities, and for sixteen 
years has served as mayor of White Lake of which office he is incumbent 
at the present time, while he has been also a member of the board of 
education for the past fifteen years. He stands high in rank in the 
Masonic fraternity, holding membership in the following bodies: White 
Lake Lodge, No. 84, Free and Accepted Masons; Mitchell Chapter, Royal 
Arch Masons; Mitchell Commandery, Knights Templar; Oriental Consistory, 
No. 1, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, at Yankton; and El Riad Temple, 
Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. at Sioux Falls. 

	In 1896, Mr. Levinger was married to Miss Sadie Wagner and they 
have two children, Frank R. and Margaret.