About Charles J. Vopička

Charles Joseph Vopicka (Karel Vopička), came to the US at the age of 22, eventually settled in Chicago and was very entreprenurial, he was in the banking, real estate, and brewing businesses (Atlas Brewing Company). He was eventually honored with a United States diplomatic appointment.¹ He was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson on September 11, 1913 as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria. He served in this position during the outbreak of World War I and remained two years after its conclusion. His was well known for his neutrality and humanitarian concern during a time of great turmoil. He published his memoirs in 1921 Secrets of the Balkans: seven years of a diplomatist's life in the storm centre of Europe. This book was published in the Czech language Taje Balkánu: sedm roků diplomatova života v bouřlivém centru Evropy in 1926 and in Romanian Secretele Balcanilor: șapte ani de viață a unui diplomat în centrul furtunii din Europa in 2012.

Charles Vopička, went first to Racine, Wisconsin to work as a bookkeeper for M.M.Secor, a leading manufacturer of travel luggage in the US. (M.M. Secor also became Mayor of Racine, elected for two terms 1884 & 1888). By 1881 Vopička chose to make his home in Chicago. He started a partnership with Otto Kubin and the two of them eventually established one of the three largest Chicago breweries called Atlas Brewing Company. He was very much involved in Chicago's civic society and in the Czech-American community.

Two famous Czech-American contemporaries of his in Chicago were: Anton Čermák, also of Bohemian descent (Born in Kladno) who became mayor of Chicago in 1931 till his death in 1933 (Just one month prior to his death Čermák attended the 50th Anniversary party of Charles J. & Viktorie Vopička at the Drake Hotel in Chicago where about 600 guests were in attendance and where Čermák was seated at the honored guests table to the left of Charles J. Vopička.), and Tomáš G. Masaryk, of Moravian descent, who lectured at the University of Chicago in 1902 and in 1907 while drafting documents for a new Czechoslovak government. In 1918 T.G. Masaryk became the first president of Czechoslovakia. In recognition of Charles J. Vopička and his accomplishments, T.G. Masaryk visited Charles Vopička's home town of Dolní Hbity on October 10, 1920.²

Charles J. Vopička died in his home at 431 W Oakdale Avenue at 11pm on Tuesday, September 3rd, 1935. His body rested at the funeral hall at 929 W. Belmont till Saturday, September 7th, 1935 where his remains were taken to the Plzeňský Sokol in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. Many nations gathered to pay their respects to Czech-American Charles (Karel) J. Vopička. From the Plzeňský Sokol at 1812 S. Ashland Avenue, his body was laid to rest at Bohemian National Cemetery in Chicago, IL.³

¹"Charles J. Vopicka". Foreign Language Press Survey. http://flps.newberry.org/article/5418478_8_0859

²"T.G. Masaryk ve Hbitech: jak to vlastně bylo?". Dolnohbitské Listy. Ročník X. číslo 2 září 2011.  http://www.dolni-hbity.cz/listy/listyzari11.htm

³See Czech death notice for Karel J. Vopička courtesy of University of Chicago https://charlesjvopicka.wbs.cz/Bohemian-National-Cemetery-Chicago.html?fotka=4#foto