Leon Wachsner (March 12, 1854—February 19, 1909) was a non-resident member of The Lambs from Milwaukee, where he was the manager of the Pabst Theatre. The New York Tribune said he was the best-known promoter of German drama in the United States. He was an actor, manager, and impressario who managed theaters in Milwaukee and Chicago.
He was a native of Stettin, Germany (today Szczecin, Poland), and immigrated in 1880 as an actor. He performed in German musicals beginning soon after, traveling across the country for parts in stock companies. He settled in Milwaukee, running the modest theatrical business. He was called a businessman who was providing “art for art’s sake,” and kept alive German plays in the U.S. For his efforts he was awarded the Order of the Crown by German Emperor William.
Wachsner owned the Milwaukee German Stock Company, founded in 1885, and supported German productions for Midwestern immigrant audiences. It was said his library of German work at the Pabst Theatre contained 800 plays and 250 musicals, the greatest in the country. He was also a star at the Powers’ Theatre in Chicago.
On February 19, 1909, Wachsner boarded the Twentieth Century Limited from New York, bound for Milwaukee, with his business partner, Isaac Adler. He suffered a fatal heart attack onboard the train, which was diverted to Buffalo, New York, to reach medical help. He could not be saved. Leon Wachsner was 54 years old.
The Sheboygan Telegram said, “The fact remains that much of Leon Wachsner’s success was due to his great Jewish energy and perseverance and to his tact in dealing with difficult problems. Like his race he was remarkable and the light of German drama in Milwaukee may have gone out with him.”
—Researched by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, Shepherd of The Lambs.