Melchoir Brugger (1854-1935) was born in Hohfluh, Bern, Switzerland, and died in Santa Monica, California. He immigrated to the United States in 1872 and lived in Iowa for two years before moving to Columbus, Nebraska, where he remained for the rest of his life. He married Mathilda Brugger (b. Stenger) in Columbus in 1884. He was a teacher and then principal of a district school before embarking on a career in banking in 1884. He worked as a bookkeeper, cashier, and ultimately president of Columbus State Bank, a position he held from 1904 to 1930. Brugger also led an active civic life. He served on the board of education, helped establish a public library, organized both a Chautauqua reading circle and a German reading circle, and helped found and served on the board of the YMCA. He was active in the temperance movement and was known for his conviction that girls should receive the same educational opportunities as boys. He was a member of the Congregational church. He passed away while visiting his son in Santa Monica. In 1886 he wrote to Mary Baker Eddy to order copies of Christian Healing and The People's Idea of God.

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