Fritz Heitmann: Hunter, dentist, hardware baron, and Houston leader

Frederick (Fritz) A. Heitmann was a Houston business and civic leader in the late 1800's and early 1900's. He succeeded his father in the family hardware business, was hugely successful, and was known for helping establish the Houston Ship Channel among other large projects. His great success obscured his earlier contribution to the frontier as a dentist in the gold fields of Colorado. His father insisted he learn a skill independent of fluctuations in the business world. He apprenticed himself to a dentist and used those abilities, along with others, to gain a large stake to build the business. Also, he had strong opinions, and liked to talk. He told his story to his grandson, and his grandson's buddy, the co-author of this article.