The Nutty Professor

peanuts Abram Elie Munier

(1885-1969)

“Professor” A. E. Munier was a lively and colorful figure in the village in the early years of World War I. He ran the concession stand at the Wilmette Theater, the village’s first movie theater, when it opened in the summer of 1914. Munier had gained notoriety the year before by abandoning a budding teaching career to sell peanuts and other snacks from a traveling cart on the Northwestern Campus. The Chicago Tribune ran a front page story on him September 23, 1913, “Professor Quits to Sell Peanuts: A. E. Munier, Late of Lake Forest College [sic], Also Deals in Popcorn and “Hot Dogs.”

"When a reporter approached Prof. Munier's wagon yesterday the master of Latin, Greek, German and French was pounding the shelf of his popcorn stand with a lath delivering a lecture to his admiring classes about as follows: Listen! Listen! Listen! Hot dogs onlyanickul affadime, a loaf of bread and a pound a meat for a nickel! Peanuts, them triple jointed Alabama baby peanuts, rrrroasted HOT as the grate bars of Hades. Babies cry for 'um, old maids die for 'um, and all the little coeds sigh for 'um. C'mon and getcher POP CORN, good old fashioned popcorn, bathed in a stream of melted butter. Be a sport, boys, spend your money and sleep in the streets."

Clearly amused the reporter asked Munier what he thought he was doing?

"What kind of a joke is this?” the professor was asked. “It’s not a joke,” he replied. “It’s an undisputable fact, worked out in economics to my own satisfaction. …You see my salary at Lake Forest college [sic] was $180 a month. What I earned on the side came from tutoring, extra hours, and no time for recreation. My peanut wagon makes my living comfortably, gives me all outdoors for my workshop, and I lay away $200 every month."

The story was picked up by The Boston Daily Globe, The Ogden Standard of Utah and The Janesville Daily Gazette in Wisconsin, The Grand Forks Daily Herald in North Dakota, The Macon Weekly Telegraph in Georgia, and The Duluth News-Tribune in Minnesota.

Second Career
Selling peanuts was Munier’s second career. After graduating from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, in 1911 with a A.B. degree in languages, and Phi Beta Kappa key honors, he held positions as an instructor in modern languages at Evanston Academy 1911-1912, and at Lake Forest Academy, 1912-1913. Rita MacAyeal, the archivist at Lake Forest Academy, commented on a reference to Munier in the school catalogue for 1912-1913 where he was listed as a French Teacher and Master of East House (a boys’ dormitory).

"In that same catalogue is a photograph of the cast of the school play in which Munier played a “strolling player.” According to a mention in our March 6, 1913 school newspaper, “The Academy Spectator,“ Mr. Munier, as a strolling player, gave a mandolin solo, which was one of the sensations of the evening."

A photograph and cast list was provided to Wilmette Public Library courtesy of the Lake Forest Academy archives. In the photo is a cast member holding a stringed instrument who may be A. E. Munier.

In addition to his music and linguistic abilities, Munier was skilled with the bow and arrow. “The Academy Spectator” dated December 12, 1912 , published an article is entitled, “The Archery Team,” and mentions that “…with the addition of Mr. Munier… the prospects for a good club this year are indeed good.” It goes on to say, “…This is also true of Mr. Munier, who has shown us that archery comes naturally to a Frenchman.”

The Entrepreneur
“The Professor” told reporters his goal was to save enough money to start a string of cafés. Since he was only 26 years of age and not married, Munier felt he could afford to experiment with being an entrepreneur. By 1914, only one year later, he owned a confectionary store at 1161 Wilmette Avenue, around the corner from the theater where he and his brother, Michel, operated the concession stand. Steady to his purpose A. E. Munier had turned his candy store into a soda-fountain/ sandwich shop in Wilmette by 1917, and rented the concession for the snack bar in the “refactory” of the Hotel Leonard, a summer resort in Crystal Lake, Illinois. This was a short lived venture as the hotel burned down a few months later, in November 1917, and the owner, Patrick Leonard, sold the building the following spring.

A visit from the FBI
Patriotism ran high in Wilmette after the United States officially entered World War I against Germany on 6 April 1917. Abram Munier dutifully signed on as a French instructor through the YMCA's program at Camp Grant in Rockford, Illinois. His Wilmette sandwich shop, however, ran afoul of the federal government's wheat and meat bans designed to reserve food supplies for the soldiers. Two ladies visited the shop on a meatless day for a sandwich. They asked Michel Munier, running the shop for his brother, why he served meat sandwiches on that day. Michel replied that he had no other kind to serve. After eating their lunch, they reported the violation to the FBI on December 20, 1917. Operative Jones, under Captain Ellis, under Inspector Keyes visited the sandwich shop on 18 February 1918 clearly terrifying Michel Munier.

"The proprietor of the business [Abram Munier] is now in the service and at Rockford, Illinois. His brother who is running this business tells me he served some sandwiches on Saturday, not knowing the order was in effect, but when his attention was called to it by a customer he quit at once. He says he is very anxious to comply with every order and will be very careful to do so in the future."

Born in France, Maybe
When asked about his background, Abram Elie Munier told people that he was French, born in Marseilles on 3 March 1885, immigrating to the United States in 1889 at the age of four. While no proof has been found to challenge Munier’s birthplace, there is strong evidence and that he was not French, but a member of the large Christian Assyrian ethnic group that immigrated heavily to Chicago after the Columbian World’s Exhibition in 1893.

His younger brother, Michel Elias Munier, spelled his family name Munyer on his World War I era draft card dated 5 June 1917. Michel said he was born in the Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey, on 15 August 1888. Both men gave a home address of 1343 S. California Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. Also living at that address was the family of William Sabeh Munyer, age 20, a naturalized citizen born in Syria. William Munyer and Abram Munier both registered at the same draft board on the same day, 12 September 1918. It’s very likely that Abram, Michel and William were related in some way. Abram listed Mrs. S. Munyer of the California Ave., as his nearest relative. William gave his father’s name as Sabeh S. Munyer.

Also Known As: Albert E. Munier
Surprisingly, for such a flamboyant character, Abram Elie Munier is very difficult to trace after 1918. Part of the problem is that he frequently used an alternate name, Albert E. Munier, or simply his initials, A. E. Munier. Patrick Leary, of the Wilmette Historical Museum, found references to these name variants as far back as 1914.

"The Wilmette city directory for 1914-1915 lists Albert [sic] E. Munier, confectioner, at 1161 Wilmette Ave.; his home is listed as 1407 Elmwood. In the 1917-1918 directory, "A. E. Munier, prop. [i.e., proprietor], confectionery" is again listed at 1161 Wilmette Ave., but his residence is listed at 1159 Wilmette Ave. ...Beneath A. E. Munier's entry is a separate one [for his brother, Michel] that reads: "Munier, M. E. (Munier Bros) r [i.e. residence] 1159 Wilmette Avenue. By the 1922 directory (the next one that exists) they and their shop are gone."

Off to California
The next sighting we have of Abram Munier is in the 1930 Census in California. By then A. E. Munier, age 41, using the name Albert, was teaching French again. He resided with his wife, Virginia Marie Polito Munier, age 27, at 950 Osage St., Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California. Living in the same town were the families of his brother Michel Munier and Savah [sic] S. Munyer.

He died 25 July 1969 in the town of Brea, Orange County, California. His possible address at the time of his death was 517 E. Elm St., Brea, California. No obituary has been located for him. The Wilmette Public Library invites readers to contact the library with additional information to share about this interesting man

Back to Local History Home Page