New Orleans Elevator & Warehouse Company

Submitted by Mike Miller

New Orleans Elevator & Warehouse company. This well-known house was the first large elevator built in New Orleans, La., in 1868, but since that time, three large floating elevators have been added and the business largely increased. In the month of April, 1892, this company handled and loaded on foreign-going steamers over 3,250,000 bushels of grain, which about shows the average of the last season, while in 1890- 91 very little was done on account of crop failures on this side, and only 2,108,919 bushels of corn were shipped against 14,156,199 the year before. Leonhard Naef is the manager, secretary and treasurer of this company and has been more or less connected with it since 1870, but had taken full charge in 1881. He was born in Switzerland in 1847, coming to New Orleans in 1869, where he has always resided. In 1881 Mr. Naef was a member of the city council for one term, when he served on streets, landings and various other committees; this was when Gen. W. J. Behan was mayor. He was also connected with the large cotton and grain commission house of Engster & Co., one of the largest exporting houses at that time in New Orleans. It was through energy and close application to business that he has worked his way to the prominent position he now holds, and a great part of the success of the elevator company is due to his business ability. He was married in 1871 to Miss Eliz Klink, a native of Germany, who came to the United States in 1868, and this union has been blessed with sons and daughters. Mr. Naef is a member of various societies and clubs of the city of New Orleans. His father is Jacob Naef, a resident of Switzerland and still residing there, being eighty years old; he was engaged in the hide and fur business as well as farming.

Biographical and Historical Memoires of Louisiana, (vol. 2), p. 273 . Published by the Goodspeed Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892.