George
Pfeiffer Jr.

GEORGE PFEIFFER JR. was born in Camden on March 16, 1856 to George and Catherine Pfeiffer, who had both emigrated from Germany and met in the United States. George Pfeiffer Sr. was a successful businessman, who owned a saloon and restaurant on South 4th Street, and later the George Pfeiffer & Sons brick and coal yard at Federal Street and the Coopers Creek Bridge. George Jr. followed him into the business world. His business interests would span the state, from Camden to Manahawkin.

George Pfeiffer engaged in a variety of business early in his career, including oil, bottling, real estate, and hotel keeping. He pursued the bottling business for five years with great success. By the late 1880s George Pfeiffer Jr. was involved in real estate and construction. He built a row of two story, five room brick houses opposite the Pennsylvania Railroad car shops that all sold within a roughly nine week period in the late spring and early summer of 1888, in what was then Stockton Township, present day East Camden. He also built and sold houses in Camden proper. He was involved with T.P. Newell in developing Harvey Cedars on Long Beach Island, and served as secretary and treasurer of the Harvey Cedars Beach Company in the late 1880s and early 1890s. In 1890 he partnered with lumber yard owned Richard Fetters Smith, whose business was quite near the Pfeiffer family business on Federal Street. In these years George Pfeiffer Jr. lived at 312 South 5th Street in Camden.

George Pfeiffer Jr. is most noted for his business ventures regarding water. He was the president of the the Stockton Water Company in Stockton Township, which became East Camden, and he was the contractor who drilled Camden's artesian water wells in the 1890s.  

Besides the above mentioned business activities, George R. Pfeiffer Jr. also served as a Director on the board of the New Jersey Trust & Safe Deposit Company, and was president of the Sea Isle City and Egg Harbor water works

George Pfeiffer was a member of the Democrat party. He was a member of City Council in Camden, and served in the New Jersey Assembly and State Senate, besides holding other posts in state government. He also served as a United States Marshal.

George Pfeiffer Jr. married Adaline Adams in 1877. There were seven children, four of whom were still alive in 1897, Newell, Howard, Katherine, and Ada. His later years were in Merchantville NJ, where he owned a home at 35 Walnut Street. A grandson, George Pfeiffer III, was born in 1914. George Pfeiffer Jr. passed away in 1926 and was buried at Harleigh Cemetery in the family plot. Pfeiffer Street in East Camden was named in his honor.

George Pfeiffer III moved from Merchantville to Northern California in 1949, where in 1955 he founded and operated the Hilltop Hobbies Press for almost 40 years. He passed away in 1997. His children, Douglas and Lynne have followed him into printing and publishing, operating the Sandcastle Press and The Imaginary Press.

Philadelphia Inquirer - October 11, 1887

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Jacob C. Daubman - Charles Fackler - Dr. Willis Hunt - Charles Pedigree - David Baird - George S. West - Dr. James G. Stanton - William O. Sloan - Thomas Harned - George Barrett - John Campbell
William H. Chandler - William F. Reed - Dr. John D. Leckner - John Corbitt - John Blowe - Harry B. Paul - George Pfeiffer - David M. Chambers - George W. Tenner - Benjamin M. Braker - John H. Doerr
David Jones - L.D. Sheppard - H.C. Hopper - A.J. Hoey - Frank Warren - Edward Dudley
B.L. Bonsall - John D. Glover - Peter Arrison - Dr. Onan Gross

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May 5, 1888

June 29, 1888

Historical and Industrial Review of Camden, N.J. - 1890

SMITH & PFEIFFER, LUMBER AND MILL WORK,
AND
GEORGE PFEIFFER & SON, COAL, BRICK, STONE, etc., 
COOPER'S CREEK, FEDERAL STREET

THE lumber industry is one which is specially well represented in Camden, and among the many large firms engaged in this most essential and staple branch of trade, the house of Messrs. Smith & Pfeiffer stands in the first rank in all respects. The firm was started in January, 1889, and they are the successors to the lumber department of the old-established house of Messrs. George Pfeiffer & Son, so long and favorably known in the commercial circles of this city, which latter firm now confines their operations exclusively to the branch of coal, brick and stone. The premises of the two firms adjoin each other, occupying a large space of ground between Federal street on the southern side, the Pennsylvania Railroad and Cooper's Creek. The lumber yard of Smith & Pfeiffer is of the extent of 300 feet by 200, with ample shedding for keeping the lumber under cover, and i s at all times kept fully stocked with a supply of dressed and undressed lumber, averaging between three and four million feet. All the usual sorts of building lumber are kept on hand, such as flooring, fencing, sidings, planks, joists, wainscoting, etc., with many special kinds, and also a general stock of mill work—mouldings, doors, sash, brackets, etc.—in short, all the material of this character usually found in first-class establishments, the splendid facilities of the firm and their perfect knowledge of the trade, enabling them to offer customers lowest prices, and superior inducements They carry all classes of woods, both hard and soft, but the specialties are hemlock and white and yellow pine. The conveniences for shipment and handling goods are unsurpassed—the wharf on Cooper's Creels providing for water transportation, and the railroad side-tracks for that by rail.

The members of the firm are Mr. Richard F. Smith and Mr. George Pfeiffer, Jr., the latter being also the present proprietor of the business of George Pfeiffer & Son, the trade of which is of the same complete and extensive character in its department as that of lumber in its line. Their products are coal, hard brick, as as well as that known as "salmon'' and "stretchers,'' and foundation stone, in all of which they are the representative establishment in this city, conducting a business probably unsurpassed in this section.

Both Mr. Smith and Mr. Pfeiffer are prominent citizens of Camden, and business men of high ability and enterprise. They have also held prominent political positions—Mr. Pfeiffer now being State Senator, while Mr. Smith has held the offices of City Treasurer and Sheriff of Camden..

Philadelphia Inquirer
January 20, 1891

George Pfeiffer Jr. -  John Johnson
William "Billy" Thompson
John Heileman - Harry B. Paul
Thomas Devine - James Cleary
David Corbett - Patrick Whalen
William H. Getty - Patrick J. Farley
John McElwee - William Guthridge
F.H. Burdsall - Watson Depuy
George G. Felton - Sinnickson Chew
Charles F. Ware - E. Woodward
Weiling Schrack - F. Wayland Ayer
William S. Scull - G. Genge Browning
Benjamin C. Reeve - E. A. Armstrong
Morris Hall - A. Elwood Jones
John S. Davis - Patrick Daly
South 9th Street - Division Street

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Philadelphia Inquirer - January 3, 1895

Philadelphia Inquirer - May 1, 1896

BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW - 1897

Philadelphia Inquirer - May 22, 1897

Philadelphia Inquirer - November 23, 1898

Philadelphia Inquirer - April 1, 1902

Philadelphia Inquirer - September 5, 1903

Pfeiffer Family Plot at Harleigh Cemetery