From Sicily to Springfield, an immigrant builds a new life

Charles Sansone, a Sicilian immigrant who came to the United States as a child, is pictured while serving as quartermaster sergeant with Company K, 2nd Missouri Infantry Regiment during the Spanish-American War. After the war, he overcame financial setbacks to become one of Springfield's most respected restaurateurs and hoteliers. Courtesy of Jeremy P. Ämick.

Editorial note: This is the first of two articles highlighting the life and experiences of Charles Sansone.

The smiling young soldier standing beside a canvas tent in 1898 could hardly have imagined that his name would one day adorn one of Springfield's finest hotels.

Dressed in the uniform of a quartermaster sergeant with Company K, 2nd Missouri Infantry Regiment, Charles Sansone represented something much larger than military service during the Spanish-American War. He embodied the promise that drew millions to America during the late nineteenth century. Like many of his fellow immigrants, he believed that through determination, perseverance and hard work, success was possible regardless of one's beginnings.

By the time of his death in 1954, the Sicilian immigrant had become one of Springfield's best-known businessmen, operating restaurants, hotels, a fruit company and other enterprises while earning a reputation for integrity, hospitality and civic leadership.

Born April 20, 1874, in Sicily, Charles was the son of Diego Sansone. According to his obituary published in the Springfield News-Leader, the family immigrated to the United States when Charles was just eight years old. Like thousands of Italian families escaping limited economic opportunities in southern Europe, the Sansones settled in St. Louis, where Diego established the family in their new home.

Charles grew up during an era when Italian immigrants often faced prejudice while attempting to establish themselves in American communities. Success depended upon persistence and an unwavering willingness to work. Those qualities would define the remainder of his life.

In 1892, eighteen-year-old Charles moved to Springfield, a rapidly growing railroad city whose commercial district attracted ambitious young entrepreneurs from throughout the Midwest. The move would shape the rest of his life.
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Operating a small fruit stand on St. Louis Street near the old Gillioz Theatre site, Sansone quickly became acquainted with many of Springfield's newspapermen, businessmen and shoppers. One frequent customer was Springfield Republican newspaperman Vance C. Criss. Recognizing the young immigrant's personality and work ethic, Criss encouraged Sansone to expand beyond selling fruit and enter the restaurant business. It proved to be advice that changed the course of his life.

Before long, Sansone opened a café that became increasingly popular. Customers appreciated both the quality of the food and the cheerful proprietor who greeted them each day. Business steadily improved. 

His professional success was soon matched by happiness in his personal life. In 1904, Charles returned to St. Louis, where he married Angelina Gallo, a native of that city. Years later, the Springfield News-Leader affectionately described Angelina as "the sweetest girl that ever lived."

Throughout the next four decades, Angelina became Charles' closest business partner. Whether operating restaurants or later welcoming guests to Springfield's finest hotels, she worked quietly beside her husband, helping build a reputation that would eventually become known throughout southwest Missouri.

The couple later welcomed one son, D. "Bunch" Sansone, who would eventually join his father in business.

Just as Charles' career appeared firmly established, events beyond his control threatened to erase years of hard work. On Jan. 6, 1909, fire erupted in the Baldwin Theatre. Beginning in the boiler room, the blaze rapidly spread through neighboring buildings, destroying much of the surrounding block. Among the losses were Charles Sansone's restaurant and fruit business.

The Springfield-Greene County Library District later noted that the fire destroyed "the restaurant and fruit store of Charles Sansone" along with numerous neighboring businesses. Everything the young couple had built disappeared in a matter of hours. Their savings were gone. Many businessmen would have accepted defeat yet Charles and Angelina chose another path.
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Looking back decades later, the Springfield News-Leader summarized their determination in a single unforgettable sentence: "The young couple lost their savings in the business, but started another restaurant three days afterward."

Rather than dwelling upon failure, they simply went back to work and their resilience attracted the attention of one of Springfield's most influential businessmen. Developer John T. Woodruff had become one of the city's leading commercial visionaries through investments in downtown office buildings, hotels and other projects. When construction neared completion on an elegant new downtown hotel in 1911, he searched for someone capable of managing it successfully. His choice surprised many observers.

Charles Sansone had built an outstanding reputation operating restaurants, but he possessed virtually no experience managing a hotel. Woodruff nevertheless believed character mattered more than experience. Writing years later in Reminiscences of an Ozarkian, he explained why the decision proved successful. "The venture panned out excellently," Woodruff recalled. "Charles and Mrs. Sansone were very attentive to business and prospered."

Woodruff had entrusted one of his largest investments to an immigrant businessman who had recently rebuilt his life after financial disaster. His confidence proved justified.

On Jan. 10, 1911, Hotel Sansone officially opened its doors. The four-story building represented one of Springfield's finest accommodations. Constructed with reinforced concrete, brick and steel, it featured fifty guest rooms, many with private baths, while every room included a telephone, which was considered a luxury by many travelers.

Its spacious dining room accommodated approximately 200 guests. Contemporary newspaper accounts reported that opening-night dinner reservations filled the dining room to capacity, demonstrating the public's enthusiasm for the new establishment and the confidence many already placed in Charles and Angelina's management.

Perhaps the hotel's greatest distinction was its name since Woodruff chose to call it Hotel Sansone. For Charles, the honor represented far more than a business opportunity. Less than three decades earlier, he had arrived in America as an eight-year-old immigrant from Sicily. Now his name stood prominently above one of Springfield's finest commercial buildings.

The hotel also reflected the partnership Charles shared with Angelina. Later newspaper accounts observed that she "helped her husband in his various hotel and restaurant enterprises," a simple statement that understated her contribution to the couple's success. Together they welcomed guests, supervised employees and built a reputation for hospitality that soon extended well beyond Springfield.

The success of Hotel Sansone would soon open even greater opportunities.

Within little more than a decade, Charles and Angelina would leave the hotel that bore their name to assume management of Springfield's prestigious Colonial Hotel, placing them at the center of the city's commercial and civic life during one of the most exciting periods in its history.

Jeremy P. Ämick is author of the historical compilations “Moments on the Moreau” and “Beyond the Moreau.”       
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