Jesse Besser

Life & Legacy

Jesse Besser (1882 – May 3, 1970) was an inventor and manufacturer from Alpena in the U.S. state of Michigan. He is best known for inventing, and supervising a series of improvements to, a tamping machine used to rapidly press wet, flexible concrete into blocks, thereby making possible a new generation of applications in masonry construction. For decades, Besser block was a worldwide standard term for masonry construction blocks and is still a generic term in Australia. The Alpena-based Besser Company, which Jesse Besser ran for many decades, manufactured these machines and made a fortune for him and his family. Concrete blocks made with Besser machines became a feature of worldwide construction solutions in World War II and following years. Commencing in 1964, Besser turned over part of his assets to the newly founded Jesse Besser Museum, now known as the Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan, as an endowment.