Kron, Henry F.
Henry Frederick Kron (1855-1930) was the eldest of four children of Jacob Kron and his wife Flora (nee Woodford). Henry grew up to run the tannery established by his father, on the San Lorenzo River just north of downtown Santa Cruz. Two brothers also went into the tannery business. Oscar ran an office in San Francisco, and Frank established a branch in Australia. Henry helped to establish the "Pilot Hose Company No.3" firefighting team near the tannery, and at age 25 was elected to the City Council as part of the what Ross Gibson referred to as the "Boys Administration". In 1885, the "boys" bought one of the two privately-owned local water companies and created the Santa Cruz municipal water system that remains today.
- Ross Eric Gibson, "Hi Kron and his tannery politics", Santa Cruz Sentinel, Aug. 24, 2025, A3 & A5.
- History Pages: 12 - Mills and Tanneries
- History Pages: 52 - Santa Cruz water system timeline
Family tragedy destroyed the Kron family and its business. Oscar died in 1899, Frank died in 1913; mother Anna and Henry's son both died in 1914. Henry closed the tannery, but employees Herman Kullmann and Ansley Salz bought the business and reopened in 1918. Salz Tannery (later Salz Leather) remained in business until 2001, and the former tannery is now the city-owned Tannery Arts Center.