How did the builder of the Foshay Tower end up in Leavenworth?

A) Wilbur Foshay, who built a fortune buying utilities throughout the Midwest, opened the Foshay Tower on Aug. 31, 1929. In 1934, he was sentenced to Leavenworth for 15 years on charges that he operated a pyramid scheme with his own stock. President Franklin Roosevelt commuted 10 years from Foshay’s sentence, but Foshay only actually served three years in Leavenworth because of “good behavior.”

Wilbur B. Foshay

Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society

Foshay Tower, 1929

Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society

Aug. 31, 1929: The dedication party for the tower.

Photo credit: Minnesota Historical Society