German hotel and restaurant contractor, noted as one of The Eitel Brothers, a family of four brothers (Emil, Karl, Robert and Max Eitel), originating from Stuttgart in Germany, who operated since 1894 in Chicago as hoteliers and restaurateurs. They are well known for the luxury Bismarck Hotel and restaurants such as the Marigold Gardens and the Old Heidelberg Inn.
He was the fifth child of Emil and Charlotte Eitel. After attending high school in Stuttgart, he studied at the Königlich Württembergisches Technikum für Textilindustrie (Royal School of Textile Engineering of Württemberg) in Reutlingen.
In 1891, Karl Eitel emigrated to Chicago and began collaborating with his brother Emil. After they founded the Bismarck Hotel Company, he assumed the office of Vice President and Secretary and after the death of Emil Eitel in 1948, the office of President. A year later, he retired, but remained joined to the company until his death in 1954 as honorary chairman.
In 1896, Karl Eitel married his first wife Marieluise Boldenweck (1875–1913), a younger sister of his sister-in-law Emma (married to Emil Eitel). The marriage produced four children, among them Otto K. Eitel, who later became president of the Bismarck Hotel. In 1915, Karl Eitel made his second marriage to Ann Schmidt (1884-1919), the daughter of a factory owner from Brussels, with whom he had one daughter. His third marriage was to Suzanne Schmidt (1888–1968), the sister of his second wife. From this marriage, he had three children.
For many years Karl Eitel was active in social and political life in Chicago. He died on 9 March 1954 in Santa Barbara, California at age 83.
Link to Wikipedia biography