Background
George W. Auch was born in 1868 in Sebewaing, Michigan, the son of Sebewaing founder J.J.F. Auch.
George W. Auch was born in 1868 in Sebewaing, Michigan, the son of Sebewaing founder J.J.F. Auch.
He graduated in 1893 and began teaching at Bethany Lutheran School on Detroit"s east side. By 1908, Auch and his wife Sofia had nine children, and Auch decided that his teacher"s salary wasn"t enough to provide for his family.
He was the president of the Detroit school board and served as a city alderman. Quitting his teaching job, Auch started a construction business with Herman Winkler. The firm of Winkler and Auch began by working on small residential construction projects.
However, by 1912, the firm was constructing schools, churches, and larger commercial buildings.
In 1913, Auch was elected school inspector, an office he held until 1917. He was elected president of the Detroit School Board twice during that time, and served as an officer of the National Education Association.
Auch served as alderman of the city of Detroit from 1916-1918, running as a Republican. Auch Company During the World War I years, the construction business was slow.
At some point during that time, Auch and Winkler parted ways and the Auch Company emerged.
During the 1920s, Auch built homes in Detroit"s Boston-Edison and Indian Village districts, as well as homes in Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Park. Auch, however, did not live to see his company emerge from the recession. Auch died in 1937 due to lingering complications from an automobile accident.
As of 2011, the Auch Company is still in business as a contracting firm.
