He is considered a pioneer in the growing resort town of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the late 1880s and the early 1900s.

New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson, who later became a US president, pursued Kuehnle after his 1910 election as part of his campaign to clean up Atlantic City.

Kuehnle then had his name tarnished by scandal, and he was succeeded by Enoch "Nucky" Johnson as leader of the organization.

[2] Nicknamed "Louie," Kuehnle grew both in popularity and political power in Atlantic City and inspired other young politicians such as Harry and Isaac Bacharach and Enoch Johnson.

Kuehnle also helped lower electric prices by supporting a competing utility in the area.

He would devise nonviolent ways to get the state militia to visit and to calm the community whenever a Philadelphia newspaper published an inflammatory article.

[2] Joining the Atlantic City Yacht Club during his prime, he later served as chairman, which is essentially the origin of his adopted unofficial rank of "Commodore."

[1] Additionally, he extorted gambling rooms and whorehouses, as well a variety of legitimate businesses, to fund his Republican political operation.

Because he saw them as appointees, Kuehle would force government employees to "kick back" 5-7% of their salaries to the Republican Party.

Woodrow Wilson won instead, becoming governor in large part due to his vow to address corruption in Atlantic City.

Kuehnle, as the chairman of the city's water commission, later approved contract changes that resulted in increased payments to the company in which he held an ownership interest.

In 1913, Kuehnle was convicted of conflict of interest related corruption and was sentenced to one year of hard labor and a $1,000 fine.