Ernest Christian Bohne was born in Cassel, Germany on February 8, 1840. Bohne's father was a successful publisher and bookseller, and was an officer in Napoleon's army during the Russian campaign from 1810-1812. Bohne was educated at an elite gymnasium in Germany, but in 1854 left school and began learning the book trade. He later found work as a sailor and landed in New Orleans in 1856. From there, he immediately traveled to Louisville where he found work as a bookkeeper in a dry goods store. During the Civil War he served with a company of home guards as quartermaster sergeant. In 1862, Bohne began work as the office manager and bookkeeper at the Louisville Hotel, a position he held for ten years. In 1863, Bohne married Amelia Marie German and together the two had a daughter and four sons: Helen Bohne (Mrs. Henry Schimpler), Charles Otto Bohne, Ferdinand W. Bohne, Philip Judge Bohne, and Ernest F. Bohne. In 1872, Bohne organized the Western German Savings Bank and became its cashier. Two years later the bank was reorganized as the Third National Bank of Louisville. Bohne won acclaim as an astute banker and financier, delivering numerous addresses and authoring several papers on banking issues. During his career he transacted business for the British Consul in Baltimore and the Imperial German Consul in Cincinnati. In addition to his banking career, Bohne took an active role in Louisville's civic affairs. From 1867-1870 he served as a school trustee, from 1877-1880 as a charity commissioner, and in 1891 as a member of the first board of park commissioners. As a park commissioner, Bohne was instrumental in selecting the sites for Cherokee and Shawnee parks, and in entrusting the development of the parks to Olmsted and Co., the most prominent landscape architects of the day. Bohne died in Louisville on March 24, 1909.
From the description of Ernest Christian Bohne memoir and scrapbook, ca. 1870-1900. (Filson Historical Society, The). WorldCat record id: 60805567
