John James Hattstaedt

John James Hattstaedt (pronounced HATT-stedt; b. 29 December 1851, Monroe, Michigan; d. 30 November 1931 Chicago) was a musician and teacher known as founder and president of the American Conservatory of Music, which he established in Chicago in 1886. It was the oldest private degree-granting school of music in the Midwest. He served as its president until becoming ill six months before his death. At that time, the Conservatory had an enrollment of over 3,000 students.

His widow Kate Hattstaedt took over the presidency, and then his son John Robert Hattstaedt took the position in 1935. The Conservatory finally closed in 1991, because of declining enrollment and rising costs.