125 Years Since the Birth of F.C. Ziegler

This December, we celebrate an extraordinary milestone in our company’s history. On December 14, 1900, our founder Francis Charles Madison (F.C.) Ziegler was born in South Dakota. If he were with us today, he would be 125 years old.

Celebrate with us by saving 10% through Monday, December 15th on most in-stock items, excluding candles, wine, hosts, and incense. 

A Life Rooted in Faith, Family, and Craftsmanship

F.C. was born Francis Charles Madison to Charles and Elizabeth Madison. His mother passed away when he was less than a year old, and he was adopted by her sister Anna and her husband Jacob Ziegler, who raised him in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He grew up alongside the Ziegler and Madison cousins, unaware of his adoption until the age of 18 — a discovery he later described as “like a bolt of lightning.”  

 

At sixteen, F.C. left school and apprenticed at Bechtel Jewelers, quickly mastering the trade and showing early signs of his lifelong perseverance and creativity. By his early twenties, he owned his own small jewelry business in Sioux Falls before moving to Tulsa, Oklahoma in the mid-1920s.

He married Julia Ann Naughton in 1922, and together they raised seven children. In 1929, he founded what would become F.C. Ziegler Company, just two weeks before the Great Depression began. With unshakable determination, he moved his tools into the family garage and continued working, taking on any honest job — repairing watches, melting scrap gold, crafting buttons, even selling berries door-to-door to support his family and keep the business alive.

By the mid-1930s, with the help of Tulsa oilman Waite Phillips, Frank reopened his shop downtown in the Philcade Building. There he gained national recognition for a sterling-silver model of an oil-pipeline pump, marking the first of many achievements that combined artistry with industry.

When the Second World War made European church goods scarce, F.C. was asked by Sir John Craig to design sacred vessels for priests serving missions. That single request began the company’s enduring legacy in ecclesiastical metalware — a line of work that continues to define us nearly a century later.

A Legacy That Lives On

Those who knew F.C. described him as humble, loyal, generous, and deeply moral — a man who kept his word and treated all people with respect. He never used vulgar language, never spoke ill of another race or religion, and even stood up for others when it wasn’t popular to do so. He loved sailing, believed card games sharpened the mind, and above all, he lived for people more than things.

He led by quiet example — expecting honesty, valuing fairness, and proving through his actions that faith and integrity could coexist with business success. He passed away on August 30, 1993, at the age of 92, leaving behind a company built not only on craftsmanship, but on character.

Faith was not just a part of F.C.’s life — it shaped the company he built. He responded to the needs of the Church not simply as a craftsman, but as a man whose values were rooted in the Catholic faith. The Prayer of St. Francis, found among his memorial cards, reflects the way he lived: with humility, charity, and a desire to serve. His respect for clergy, his fairness toward all people, and his commitment to creating sacred vessels that helped the Church worship with beauty all speak to a faith lived quietly but deeply. Today, our work continues that same mission to support the Church with honesty, craftsmanship, and reverence.

Looking Ahead

As we celebrate Founders’ Day and F.C.’s 125th birthday, we also look toward the future with pride:

• Entering our 97th year in 2026
• Four generations strong
• And preparing to mark our 100th anniversary in 2029

Our founder’s legacy reminds us that perseverance, creativity, and faith are timeless — and that our work today continues a story nearly a century in the making. F.C.’s life — from an adopted child who learned jewelry at 16, to a young husband crafting goods in a garage during the Depression, to the creator of sacred vessels now used across the country — shows what is possible when skill, courage, and purpose come together. His example continues to guide our hands and our hearts.

For nearly one hundred years, F.C.’s vision has been carried forward not only by his family but by generations of dedicated team members who built this company through their craftsmanship, service, and belief in our mission. Every chalice polished, every candle packed, every order taken, every shipment loaded, every customer helped all of it has kept this company strong. Today, each of you continues that work. Your commitment, your skill, and your pride in what you do ensure that the spirit F.C. instilled in this company lives on. We are deeply grateful for all who came before us, and for every one of you who helps carry this legacy into our 100th year and beyond.

Thank you for being part of it!

Warm regards,

William Zitter

President

F.C. Ziegler Co.