John Henes Sr.

John Henes Sr. (born Johan Baptist Henes;[1] January 6, 1852 – January 15, 1923) was an inventor, businessman, and philanthropist in Menominee, Michigan.[2][3]

Henes was born in Gammertingen, Kingdom of Württemberg, the son of Eusebius and Ursula (Goeggel) Henes.[1][2] He emigrated to the United States in 1871 and lived in Seymour, Wisconsin, and Milwaukee before settling in Menominee, where he became a brewmaster at a brewery operated by Adam Gauch. He married Rosa Leisen (1858–1923)[4] in 1879 and, together with his father-in-law Jacob Leisen, he purchased the brewery and operated it under the name Leisen & Henes Brewing Company.[2][5]

Henes patented the Henes-Keller bottling machine in 1897,[6] and it became the leading bottling machine in the beer industry after it was introduced in 1903.[5] The device transferred beer from barrels to bottles without loss of carbonation,[5] and it featured a revolving filler and air pump.[7] Henes served as president of the Henes & Keller Company, which manufactured the bottle-filling machines,[2] and the equipment was marketed globally.[5][8] An improvement of the machine was later patented by his son, John E. Henes (1881–1948),[9] who managed the company after his father's death.[10] The plant, which stood at 14th Avenue and 6th Street in Menominee, was sold to the L. E. Jones company in the early 1940s.[11][12]

In addition to his brewing activity, Henes was vice-president of the First National Bank, the Menominee River Sugar Company, and the Richardson Shoe Company. He was also director of the Lloyd Manufacturing Company, which produced wooden ware.[2]