After his wife's death, the elder Kohler remarried, and he and his large family emigrated to the United States.

In 1899, Kohler purchased 21 acres of farmland four miles west of Sheboygan, intending to move his entire company to the location.

Five years later, 30-year-old Walter J. Kohler assumed his father's corporate presidency and began to guide the firm.

Citizens also admired Kohler for his generous contributions and leadership in the areas of art and culture, symbols of Sheboygan's desire to be more than a factory town.

They had six children; In 1887, four years after his wife Lillie's death, John married Lillie's sister, Wilhelmina "Minnie" Vollrath (1852–1929), and they had one child; The large and fashionable Kohler family home in Sheboygan was filled with music, books, and constant lessons in ethics and public service.

[citation needed] John's three daughters remained in the Kohler house, unmarried, for the rest of their lives, frequently wearing black.