Reich, Frank Albert 1884 - 1946 | Wisconsin Historical Society

Historical Essay

Reich, Frank Albert 1884 - 1946

Reich, Frank Albert 1884 - 1946 | Wisconsin Historical Society

public-health worker, b. Milwaukee. He contracted tuberculosis while working for the Pabst Brewing Co. in Milwaukee and spent 14 months (1913-1914) as a patient in the Wisconsin state sanatorium in Wales. After recovering, he worked for a year as assistant steward of the sanatorium, and in 1915 was chosen to open and direct the Tomahawk Lake Camp in Oneida County (called the Lake Tomahawk State Camp after 1928), one of the first experiments in physical hardening and vocational rehabilitation of tuberculosis convalescents. Reich served as superintendent of the camp from 1915 until his death. Under his direction it became nationally recognized for its success in developing outdoor vocational techniques for the rehabilitation of tuberculosis victims. Rhinelander Daily News, Sept. 4, 1946; H. Holand, Rehabilitation at Lake Tomahawk State Camp (New York, 1945).

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Frank A. Reich Papers for details.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]