Frederick Essen

Frederick Essen (April 22, 1863 – August 18, 1946) was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and a prominent local official, newspaperman, and civic leader in St. Louis County. He was born near Pond, a rural community in St. Louis County, Missouri, where he spent his early years engaged in farm life. He attended the public schools of St. Louis County, receiving a basic formal education typical of rural Missouri in the late nineteenth century, and from a young age he engaged in agricultural pursuits, working the land in the area where he had been raised.

Essen’s early experience in agriculture provided the foundation for his initial livelihood, but he soon moved into public service and local administration. He was elected recorder of deeds of St. Louis County, serving from 1894 to 1902. In this capacity he was responsible for maintaining official records of property transactions and other legal instruments, a position that placed him at the center of the county’s land and commercial affairs during a period of growth and suburban development around St. Louis.

After his tenure as recorder of deeds, Essen entered the newspaper business in Clayton, Missouri, the county seat of St. Louis County. He became the owner of two local newspapers, which he subsequently combined under the title the Watchman-Advocate. Through this consolidated paper he played an influential role in shaping public opinion and reporting on civic, political, and educational matters in the community. His work as a publisher and editor enhanced his standing in local Republican politics and civic life.

Essen’s growing prominence led to his participation in national party affairs. He served as a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1904, 1908, and 1912, reflecting his influence within the Missouri Republican Party and his engagement with national political issues of the Progressive Era. At the same time, he devoted considerable effort to local educational matters. He served as a member of the board of education of Clayton and held the presidency of that board from 1909 to 1919, overseeing the administration and development of the local public school system during a decade of modernization and expansion.

Essen’s congressional service came late in his career and was brief but notable. A Republican, he was elected to the Sixty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Representative Jacob Edwin Meeker. He took his seat on November 5, 1918, and served until March 3, 1919, representing a Missouri district in the closing months of World War I and the immediate postwar transition. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1918, choosing instead to return to his business and community interests after completing the unexpired term.

Following his service in Congress, Essen resumed his newspaper activities in Clayton, continuing his role as a publisher and commentator on local and regional affairs. In addition to his work in journalism, he was also interested in banking, participating in the financial life of his community and contributing to the economic development of the area around St. Louis County. His combined careers in agriculture, public office, publishing, education, and finance made him a multifaceted figure in local public life.

Frederick Essen spent his later years in the St. Louis County area, remaining closely associated with the communities where he had lived and worked for decades. He died in Creve Coeur, Missouri, on August 18, 1946. He was interred in Bethel Cemetery in Pond, Missouri, near the place of his birth, closing a life that had been rooted in and largely devoted to the civic, political, and educational advancement of his home county and state.