Person Record

Metadata

Name

Krug, Howard Henry

Born

Sept. 24, 1904

Birthplace

Chesley, Ontario

Deceased

Oct. 16, 1997

Deceased

Chesley, Ontario

Father

Christian Krug

Mother

Mary Hauser

Relationships

Siblings:
Lilian (Lily) Krug (b. 1896, m. Alfred Siegrist)
Wilfrid Conrad Krug (b. 1897)
Crossley Warren Krug (b. 1899)
Florence Krug (b. 1901, m. Ralph Gibson)
Russell Krug (b. 1912, d. 1914)
Bruce Arthur Krug (b. 1919, d. 2013)

Education

Chesley Public School;
University of Toronto, School of Forestry (graduated 1926)

Occupation

Howard Henry Krug was a well-known Chesley furniture manufacturer, conservationist, sportsman, and historian.

Born on September 24, 1904, in Chesley, Ontario, to parents Christian Krug and Mary Hauser, he was the fifth of seven children. After receiving his primary and secondary education in Chesley, he attended the University of Toronto, graduating first in his class from the School of Forestry in 1926. While in university, Howard spent his summers in northern Ontario doing timber surveys for the Department of Lands and Forests.

Since 1886, the family's furniture business, Krug Bros. Co. Ltd., had operated in Chesley. The business began with a partnership agreement among Howard's father, Christian Krug, Christian's twin brother Conrad, their older brother John, and brother-in-law Henry Ankenmann. Two other brothers, William and George, joined the company later.

Howard joined the family company in 1925, working in every department of the business. He especially enjoyed working in design. When his Uncle John died in 1937, Howard took over forest management - purchasing the timber and logs and maintaining the company woodlots. In 1941, his father passed away, and Howard became President - sometimes referred to as Chief Executive Officer, or President and Chairman - a position he would hold until 1987, when the company was sold to 665205 Ontario Limited, operated by Ray Smith and Associates of Toronto.

Howard's younger brother by 15 years, Bruce Krug joined him in the business around 1946. They were the second generation of Krug men to operate Krug Bros Ltd and together they operated the business until 1987.

Howard never married. He was an ardent sportsman who enjoyed skiing (both alpine and Nordic), curling, and playing tennis. He played ball on the college team in Toronto - upon returning to Chesley, he played on the inter-church teams. He was also an ardent historian and was a founding member of the reorganized Bruce County Historical Society in 1957.

A keen birdwatcher (ornithologist), Howard took an interest in bird banding and was known to have banded over 100,000 birds. In addition, he established a chain of nesting boxes from 1960 to 1980 that brought bluebirds back to the Bruce Peninsula. He was also instrumental in securing Chantry Island, in Lake Huron, as a national migratory bird sanctuary.

Howard understood and supported the concept of sustained yield at a time when many were exploiting natural resources. As a devoted conservationist, he planted his first restoration in 1929 on the 6th Concession of Sullivan Township. Today, the Kinghurst Forest is considered remarkable for its size and age, many of the hardwood trees being over 200 years old and 100 feet tall. It is no surprise that in 1984 he was named an honourary life member by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists in recognition for his contribution to bird banding and forestry management. In early 1997, Howard Krug made a landmark bequest of 600 acres of Kinghurst Forest to the Federation of Ontario Naturalists.

In the 1980s when furniture factories in the area began experiencing difficulties, Howard Krug sold personal securities to help finance operations of Krug Bros when the banks refused further assistance. Unfortunately, this only bought time as the economy was in a recession and interest rates were high. With competition from Asian furniture makers growing, and Howard's health declining, the company was eventually sold in 1987.

Howard and Bruce Krug were considered pioneers and leaders in reforestation in Bruce and Grey Counties. Their woodlots were only selectively logged, always leaving about 75% of mature timber standing. They personally purchased other properties for forestry purposes - some of those properties have also been donated to government or organizations for preservation and/or public use.

Howard, and brothers Bruce and Wilfred, generously contributed both money and artifacts to the Bruce County Museum over the years.

Howard Henry Krug died on Oct 16, 1997, at the Chesley and District Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was 93 years of age. Except for his years in university, he lived and worked in Chesley, Ontario.

Sources

Sources:

Krug, Howard. "A Century of Excellence: Krug Bros. & Co. Furniture Manufacturers". Ed. Ruth Cathcart. Toronto: Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc., 2001.

Krug Family Fonds, BCM&CC A2014.057:
Krug Bros. Co. Ltd. Series 1
People "K" folder
Krug Family History

Krug Bros Governance, A2014.003:
Sale Inquiries 1964, 1966-68, 1-1-2A
Inquiries re Selling Company 1973-1984 1-1-2A
Directors Meeting Minutes, May 2, 1985 1-1-2B