Frederick Wilhelm Wagener (1832-1921)

He was born at Bremerhaven in Germany, where his father ran a naval store and inn. He emigrated to Charleston in 1848 to join his elder brother, General J.A. Wagener, 43rd Mayor of Charleston. During the Civil War, he fought as a Captain with the South Carolina Militia. In 1865, he established F.W. Wagener & Co., which quickly became the leading wholesale grocery in Charleston. The store is still known as the Wagener Building and stands at 161 East Bay Street, at the corner of Queen Street. He lived between 117 Broad Street (previously owned by Edward Rutledge, the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence) and his summer home at Lowndes Grove where he maintained a private racetrack and hosted the South Carolina & West Indian Exposition in 1902. He also owned the Pine Forest Inn, a popular resort at Summerville, South Carolina. He was married but died without children.