Let’s talk about the guy that our fair city was named for. Did you know that he was a World War I veteran? That he graduated with honors from Princeton University? That he worked in Washington DC and is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery? That Wendel had a brother named Jerome?
From the Wendell Centennial Publication we learn, “When the North Side tract was surveyed and prepared for land entry in 1906-1907, William S. Kuhn had two town sites surveyed in the second segregation. The two towns were named “Jerome” and “Wendell” for Kuhn’s sons Jerome Hill Kuhn and Wendel Speer Kuhn. Wendel was 15 years old in the fall of 1907 and his brother just 9 years old when the town lots in their namesakes were sold.
Wendel Speer Kuhn was born November 1, 1892 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the first child of William S. Kuhn. The name Wendel comes from Germany and means “Conqueror or leader of people” or “Crowned with honor, glory”.
Young Wendel Kuhn graduated with honors from Princeton University in 1914. He was an exceptional athlete and ranked among the top five amateurs in tennis and golf during his college days. At Princeton he played four years of varsity hockey and captained the university’s 1913 championship team.
He was commissioned Lieutenant with the first Officer’s Training Camp at the Presidio near San Francisco and served in France during World War I.
Wendel spent considerable time in Idaho in connection with his father’s business interests and even lived in the City of Wendell for some time. He later moved to Chicago where he joined a brokerage firm and was married. In 1942 he moved to Washington DC and worked for the War Production Board and then for the Navy Re-negotiation Board where he received the Meritorious Civilian Award. He retired from civil service in 1960 and died in Massachusetts in 1964.
Wendel’s son, Wendel Speer Kuhn Jr. says his father talked often of his enterprises in Idaho but cannot explain why the town was named “Wendell” with two L’s when the name is properly spelled with only one. When the town plat was dedicated to Lincoln County in July 1908 it was clearly spelled WENDELL.
Have you ever wondered about our town name? Did you know that Wendel and Jerome were brothers?
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