Henry Louis Janzen
Inducted In
1972
Henry Louis Janzen built the first greenhouses in this area – Berlin Commercial Nurseries – in 1879, and was largely responsible for convincing the Ontario Sugar Company to open the first sugar beet factory here in 1902.
A native of Germany who resided for a period in the USA, Janzen went to New Hamburg as a nurseryman in 1877, and two years later moved to Berlin to establish a business at King and Wellington Streets.
His civic service was extensive: membership on the Public School Board, during which time through his influence a second public school, now King Edward School, was built; town councillor; reeve; first deputy reeve; mayor in 1890; a founder of the Kitchener Horticultural Society; director of the Economical Mutual and a founder and board member of the News Record.
Janzen retired to Springbrook Farm, Breslau, in 1919, where he continued his greenhouse and nursery activity.