Carl H. Stubig, Local Politician and Newspaper Man

Carl H. Stubig was born on October 5, 1886 in Sandusky, Ohio, to Christian and Catherine (Lanz) Stubig, who were both natives of Germany. After working for several years in newspapers in New York and Canada, Carl returned to Sandusky and worked briefly for the Sandusky Star Journal. Carl H. Stubig published a weekly newspaper in Sandusky entitled Stubig’s Weekly between 1915 and 1918. Stubig's editorials and his approach when describing political foes caused a great deal of controversy and agitation throughout the city's political circles.

In 1914 Carl Stubig lost the Republican nomination for mayor to Charles F. Mischler. Stubig's defeat and his support against a campaign to change the city's charter put him as a leading figure in Sandusky politics. Following the adoption of a new city charter, Stubig was one of twenty-seven candidates running to fill the five positions on the first City Commission, established by the new city charter. Despite the number of candidates and the ferocious nature of the campaign, Stubig won a seat and took office as a City Commissioner on January 1, 1916.

His service on the commission was often controversial. At one point during his term, the local Congregational minister assailed Stubig from the pulpit, referring to him as a demagogue and a reactionary. And on March 20, 1916, Stubig took it upon himself to have a “test run” of the city’s fire department. He pulled the fire alarm at city hall during a blinding snow storm. City streets were dangerously slippery, and Henry Rudolph, a veteran Sandusky fireman, fell from the No. 3 hook and ladder truck while answering the false alarm. Mr. Rudolph survived the accident for several months, but he died on February 23, 1917 as a result of the injuries he sustained.

An article in the December 22, 1917 issue of the Sandusky Star Journal reported that Carl H. Stubig was tired of the town of Sandusky. Stubig moved to Akron, where he was the courthouse reporter for the Akron Times. Then he worked at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as a member of the publicity department. Later, Carl H. Stubig was secretary to C.L. Knight of the Akron Beacon Journal. On May 2, 1930, Carl H. Stubig died suddenly of heart disease at his home in Akron, Ohio, at the age of 48. An obituary found in the 1930 Obituary Notebook stated that Mr. Stubig was to be buried at Sandusky’s Oakland Cemetery. However, the Oakland Cemetery interment card for Carl H. Stubig has a note indicating that in July on 1930, the remains of Carl H. Stubig had been transferred to Marion, Ohio.

Carl H. Stubig was a dynamic individual, and he was passionate in his beliefs and goals. Though his life was brief, he made an impact on many people in several different communities. The picture of Carl H. Stubig below was taken in Albany, New York on April 14, 1912, when Mr. Stubig was with the Knickerbocker Press.