Who Was C.C. Webber?

A few years ago I contacted the John Deere Company looking for information on Charles C. Webber, or C. C. Webber, the last grandson of John Deere, who donated the money to build the Webber Baths and Webber Library in the Camden Neighborhood of North Minneapolis.

Technically - I believe I do not have the right to reproduce the article in full on this blog, but I believe I can quote the section on C. C. Webber, which I have included below. I hope you enjoy! Steph

Character of a Company: The C.C. Webber’s

By: Neil Dahlstrom
For Two Cylinder Magazine

"Webber was a throwback to another era. Passing away in 1944, he had still never driven a car, preferring horses still, though he did fly once on a plane, which gave him “no pleasure” as he “prefers the solid earth under [his] feet.” Webber was also the last surviving grandson of John Deere. Although it was not uncommon for Deere employees to spend much of their lives with the company, Webber was one of the few who could say that he spent his entire life with the company. Though some of the projects for which his name was attached are now gone, his name can still be found throughout Minneapolis. Some of those projects, some now distant memories, are Webber Municipal Park, the Minneapolis YMCA, Webber Parkway, the John Deere Webber Baths (named for his son who died of Meningitis at age 11), the Webber name adorned many a civic project in Minneapolis.

According to his death announcement by Deere & Company, “his total contribution to the advancement of the implement industry is incalculable. At his death, he was the dean of all farm implement men in the entire United States, having spent 67 years of his life in active association with the John Deere organization. He rose to the position he held in the company and the industry through sheer ability and strength of character.” If there is indeed a character to a company, Charles C. Webber was the epitome of its influence."