On August 9, 1962, the Hartford Public High School flag was flown at half-staff in tribute to Mrs. Louise Stutz Veeder, a former teacher, who had just died at the age of eighty-eight.
Louise Stutz was born in Lucerne Switzerland in 1874 and grew up in Switzerland and Germany. After studies at the University of Lausanne and in Leipzig, Germany, she emigrated to the United States in 1896 at the age of twenty-two. For the next twelve years, she taught French and German at Hartford Public High School. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1905.
On September 19, 1908, Louise Stutz, a young teacher and recent immigrant, married Curtis Veeder, an engineer, inventor, and Hartford manufacturer. He was twelve years her senior and had founded the Veeder Manufacturing Company in 1895. The couple had two daughters, Josephine, born in 1910, and Dorothy, born in 1912. Upon her marriage, Louise Veeder left her teaching position and became active in Hartford social circles. She was especially interested in European cultural and political issues. In 1917, she and her daughters joined a Hartford group who financially supported French children whose fathers had been killed in the war. In later years, she was the president of the Hartford chapter of the French cultural club, Alliance Francaise.
In 1928, Louise and Curtis Veeder moved their family into the large stone house they had built at One Elizabeth Street in Hartford. This home was the scene of many meetings, receptions and social events, including both daughters’ weddings. Curtis Veeder died in 1943, and in 1950, Louise Veeder sold the property at One Elizabeth Street to the Connecticut Historical Society. She moved to 34 Wyndwood Road, in West Hartford, where she lived until her death.
Once a month, Secrets of the Veeder House Tours provide CHS visitors with a behind-the-scenes look at the house where the Veeders once lived. The next tours will take place at 11:00 and 2:00 on July 26th. Space is limited. For more information or reservations, call (860) 236-5621 x289 or email Jenny Steadman.
