Conrad Frederick Drees, one of the leading manufacturers and merchants of Covington, who is engaged in manufacturing toys and dealing in coal, was born at Covington, January 20, 1873, a son of Henry and Agnes (Neth) Drees, natives, respectively, of Westphalia and Wurttemburg, Germany. Henry Drees came to the United States in 1855 and for many years was the proprietor of a dry goods establishment at Covington, which is now conducted by his son, J. H. Drees. There were eight children in the family: Rosa, the wife of William Deubner; George, who is engaged in general merchandising at Bradford, Ohio; J. H., successor to his father's dry goods business at Covington; William, the proprietor of a sawmill business; Agnes, the widow of George Brooks, of Piqua; Katherine, also a widow, and the mother of one daughter; Paul, who is the proprietor of a grocery at Covington, and Con F. Con F. Drees received his education in the public schools of Covington, and after being variously employed in minor occupations was made assistant postmaster of Covington, a position which he retained two years. At that time he heard the call of the West and went to the state of Washington, but after one year came back to Ohio and located at Covington, where he secured a position as salesman with the Beaver Soap Company, for which concern he acted as traveling representative for four and one-half years. His next connection was with the Andrew Jergens Company, of Cincinnati, as salesman in the service of which company he also spent four and one-half years, and then entered business on his own account as a manufacturer of talcum powder. The start of the World war made a change in Mr. Drees' business, just as it did in thousands of other cases, and he began the manufacture of sheet metal toys, an enterprise which he built up to large proportions. Unsettled industrial and other conditions have affected this business to some extent, but it is still a large and important concern, with customers in various parts of the world. In addition to his manufacturing business, Mr. Drees is a dealer in coal, and the people of Covington practically depend upon him alone for their supply of this fuel. He has an excellent reputation for business integrity, built up through years of honorable dealing. Mr. Drees is a thirty-second degree Mason of the Scottish Rite, a Royal Arch Mason and one of Covington Blue Lodge's most popular members. He has long been a leader in Democratic politics at Covington, where he is a member of the central tral committee of his party and was formerly chairman of the Democratic county organization for two years. In 1913 he was a presidential elector for Woodrow Wilson. In 1918 Mr. Drees was a candidate for the State senatorship of his district, but met with defeat by a small margin, and in 1920 is again the candidate of his party for membership in the State senate. During the World War period, he was a four-minute speaker and campaigned in behalf of funds for the different drives with splendid results. Mr. Drees married Sarah V., daughter of Jacob G. Wagner, a manufacturer of tile and brick at Covington, and to this union there have been born two children: Gail Conrad, who is deceased, and Harriet, who, is attending the Covington public school.