Max Fleischmann

Maximilian Charles Fleischmann

• Born February 26, 1877 in Cincinnati, OH USA
• Died October 16, 1951 in Santa Barbara, CA USA

Biographical Information

Max Fleischmann was the younger brother of Julius Fleischmann, and the two were part of the ownership group of the Cincinnati Reds from 1902 to 1915. The two brothers were the sons of Charles Fleischmann, founder of the Fleischmann Yeast Company that had revolutionized baking in America through the commercialization of yeast powder. His brother took over as company President upon the death of their father in 1897, and in 1900 was elected for the first of two terms as mayor of Cincinnati, OH. The two brothers shared a love of sports - Max is said to have played semi-pro baseball growing up, in addition to boxing, tennis and polo - and if Max did not make his mark in business or politics like his brother, he was an aviation pioneer. He was an active balloonist and helped set a national record in 1909 when he co-piloted a balloon that flew from St. Louis, MO to south of Richmond, VA, a distance of almost 700 miles.

On September 9, 1902, the Fleischmann brothers, George B. Cox and August Herrmann, who presided Cincinnati's Water Works Commission, purchased the Reds from John T. Brush, who sold his shares in order to acquire the New York Giants, of which he was already a minority shareholder under syndicate ownership. He did not take an active rile in running the club, as the Presidency and the day-to-day running of the club was turned over to Herrmann, who soon became one of the most influential figures in the major leagues as the first President of the National Commission.

After the brothers sold their shares in 1915, Fleischmann served in World War I with the Army Air Corps in France, where balloons had significant military importance, helping to observe the goings-on behind enemy lines. He attained the rank of Major. He had earlier served during the Spanish-American War. He was apparently gassed during his service in Europe. After the war, he became commandant of the U.S. Army Balloon School in Arcadia, CA, then ran the family company for a while after Julius' death in 1925, until its sale to Standard Brands in 1929. He settled permanently on the West coast, and was a pioneer in the development of the city of Santa Barbara, CA, where he died in 1951 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He knew his health was declining and had previously stated that he did not want to finish his life in a hospital bed.

He was an avid big game hunter but also a philanthropist, having set up a family foundation for the purpose of supporting charitable causes in which he believed, such as the promotion of arts and culture in his adopted city, support for parks and museums, or the creation of Santa Barbara's waterfront.

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