Hermann Jaeger

Hermann Jaeger
Hermann Jaeger, c. 1880
Born	March 23, 1844 Brugg, Switzerland
Died	May 1895, age 51 unknown
Occupation	enologist, scientific journalist, vintner, viticulturist, writer
Period	1865–1895

Hermann Jaeger (March 23, 1844 – c.May 17, 1895)), a native of Switzerland, was a celebrated enologist, honored as a Chevalier of the Ordre National du Mérite Agricole for his part in saving the French wine industry from the phylloxera root louse pest.

Jaeger, sixth of Charles and Mary (Custer) Jaeger's seven offspring, came from a well-known and highly educated family. His mother Mary's grandfather was Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, founder of the Swiss public school system. As a young man Jaeger took a job in a wine warehouse on Lake Geneva in Switzerland and then emigrated to the United States. In 1865, just after the end of the American Civil War, he settled east of Neosho, in the Monark Springs, Missouri area of Newton County. The following year he and his brother, John, planted a vineyard and became grape growers and wine makers.

In 1872, Jaeger married Eliza Wagenrieder of St. Louis, Missouri; his brother John had earlier married Eliza's sister Anna in 1866. Eliza died at the age of 19 on October 11, 1873 shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Bertha. In 1874, Jaeger married Elise Grosse (1854–1913), also of Saint Louis. Together, they had four children, Herman (1878–1923), Lena (born 1881), Emma (born 1884), and Carl (1892–1950).

Intelligent and proficient in several languages, Hermann Jaeger worked to breed over 100 new varieties of grapes, many of which came from wild Ozarks grapes - grapes commonly called "possum grapes". He also became the first grower in the Western world to spray vines to control fungal disease. He readily communicated with other grape experts around the world, sharing information about his work and learning from the works of others. He also wrote articles for scientific and grape journals, explaining the mysteries of grapes and his work on his farm.