John C. Paulsen
Born(1853-01-20)January 20, 1853
Germany
DiedMarch 31, 1897(1897-03-31) (aged 44)
Helena, Montana
NationalityGerman, American
OccupationArchitect
The Jefferson County Courthouse in Boulder, Montana, designed by Paulsen & McConnell and built in 1888.

John C. Paulsen (1853-1897) was a German American architect who designed buildings in Montana, several of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Unproven claims that he had faked his own death briefly created a scandal that was reported throughout the United States in 1902.

Career

John C. Paulsen was born January 1, 1853, in the Duchy of Holstein. He was educated at what is now the Leibniz University Hannover and served in the German army.[1] In 1887 he came to the United States and settled in Helena, where he formed a partnership with builder Noah J. McConnell.[2] One of his early works was the Jefferson County Courthouse in Boulder, built in 1888.[3] The firm of Paulsen & McConnell was dissolved in 1891, and Paulsen formed a new partnership with John Lavalle, a native of Peru formerly living in Boston. Projects by Paulsen & Lavalle included the first Montana Club in Helena in 1891–1893.[4] After the building burned down in 1903, a new building was erected, although the original first floor designed by Paulsen & Lavalle remains.[4] Circa 1894 Lavalle returned to Boston, and in 1895 Paulsen was appointed architect of several state institutions.

Buildings designed for the state include the Montana Deaf and Dumb Asylum, although it was completed by Charles S. Haire after his death.[3] Fred Whiteside, a state legislator, later claimed that Paulsen's later troubles stemmed from these state projects. In February 1897 Paulsen was dismissed from his state job, and died soon after.[5]

Personal life and death

Paulsen was married in 1889 to Margaret Wilson of Helena.[1]

After winning his state jobs, Paulsen had allegedly accepted bribes from contractors on those projects, which in turn led to Paulsen being offered the job to design the Montana State Capitol by corrupt legislators of the Capitol Commission, though he was replaced in this conspiracy by St. Louis architect George R. Mann late in 1896. In early 1897 a grand jury was convened in Helena to investigate, at which Paulsen testified on March 18. Whiteside, who also testified and later led further investigation into the Capitol Commission, believed that the stress of this ordeal caused his death.[5] On March 29, 1897, Paulsen apparently suffered a nervous breakdown, and died at home in the early hours of March 31, a day before he was to testify a second time. The official cause of death was apoplexy, but suicide was rumored.[1][6]

Paulsen's death was reported in the newspapers in April 1897.[7][8] Over the next several years a number of people claimed he had faked his own death. In 1902, it was claimed in court that he was still alive, and that he had been living off his life insurance in Germany with his wife.[8] However, in order to satisfy creditors, after his burial his grave had been opened by the county coroner, who with witnesses confirmed the presence of his remains.[9]

Architectural works

References

  1. 1 2 3 "J. C. Paulsen Dead" in Helena Daily Independent, April 1, 1897.
  2. ↑ "Helena Architects and Builders" in Northwest Magazine 8, no. 6 (June, 1890): 37.
  3. 1 2 Lindsay, Susanna M. (2009). Jefferson County. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 79–80. ISBN 9780738570358. OCLC 317925927.
  4. 1 2 Dean, Patty (Spring–Summer 2006). ""Unique and Handsome": Cass Gilbert's Designs for the Montana Club" (PDF). Drumlummon Views: 154–176. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Dorothy M. Johnson, "The Graft That Failed" in Montana: The Magazine of Western History 9, no. 4 (October, 1959): 2-11.
  6. ↑ Jeff Wade, "The Mysterious Death of John C. Paulsen," Idahistory, February 15, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "John C. Paulsen Dead. Died Suddenly At Helena--He Designed the Bach-Cory Building Here". Great Falls Tribune. Great Falls, Montana. April 1, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved April 22, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 "Startling Assertion Made in a Montana Court". The Los Angeles Herald. March 29, 1902. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  9. ↑ Improvement Bulletin 25, no. 19 (April 5, 1902): 11.
  10. ↑ Jefferson County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1980)
  11. ↑ Higgins Block NRHP Registration Form (1979)
  12. ↑ Spalding-Gunn House NRHP Registration Form (2006)
  13. 1 2 3 4 Frank Thomason, Boise (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2009)
  14. ↑ Bertha Eccles Community Art Center, Utah Center for Architecture.
  15. ↑ Engineering News 35, no. 23 (June 4, 1896): 183.
  16. 1 2 Montana State Normal School NRHP Registration Form (1980)
  17. ↑ Montana State University Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2013)
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