Friedrich Trump - Donald's Grandfather

Friedrich (3/14/1869 - 5/27/1918), who changed his name to Frederick when he emigrated from Bavaria Germany in 1885, stated on his immigration papers that he had no skills or profession and that he didn't speak English.

When Friedrich came from Germany to the U.S. in 1885, he didn't speak English and was fortunate to live with his older sister Katharina in New York. Within a short amount of time he found work with a German speaking barber who took him under his tutelage. After a little over 2 years of apprenticeship with this kind barber, he returned to Germany to practice his newly gained skills.



There was little work for Friedrich in his hometown and as he was reaching the age at which he would be conscripted into the German Army, he decided to return to New York so that he wouldn't have to serve. Once back in the U.S., he remained a barber for another 4 years - living in an immigrant German neighborhood of New York.



In 1891, Friedrich, who changed his name to Frederick, moved to Seattle, Washington. With his savings, which he had put together from his barber practice, he bought a restaurant in the Red Light district of Seattle. Serving food and liquor, his restaurant also advertised that it had "Rooms for Ladies" (a common way of offering prostitution). His first restaurant provided the model for all of the restaurants he ran in the future - they all offered food, alcohol, and prostitution. Popular with the men of the time.



In 1893, now a U.S. citizen, Frederick moved north of Seattle to Snohomish County. He wanted to take advantage of the large gold and silver mining in the area. After selling his Seattle restaurant, he bought 40 acres of land in nearby Pine Lake Plateau but couldn't afford the price of choice land in Monte Cristo - near where the rush was supposed to occur. As a result, he filed a claim to the mineral rights on the land he wanted - even though someone else had already claimed it. This allowed him to get the land cheaply and while his claim to build was disputed, he ignored it and quickly built a restaurant like his Seattle establishment - offering liquor, food and 'female entertainment'. At the end of the following year, he bought the land outright from the original deed owner with the profits from his endeavor.



It turned out that there wasn't much gold and silver in Snohomish County but that didn't effect Trump - he staked two miners in the Yukon Gold Rush, sold his restaurant, and returned to Seattle. His new restaurant in Seattle did well, and the miners he staked sold their claim for a profit. The partnership then found another claim and sold that for a profit - giving Frederick enough funds to go to the Yukon himself. Selling off everything but his Pine Lake Plateau property - which he transferred to his sister Louise - he went North.



After establishing a few tent restaurants, he and a partner opened a two-story restaurant which offered fine dining " fresh fruit and ptarmigan in addition to the staple of horsemeat". But due to a local crackdown on liquor and prostitution - as well as fights with his partner - Frederick sold his share, becoming a wealthy man.