Siegfried Wallner was born 5/8/1900 at 124 Grinnell Sreet, Fall River, Massachusetts, the eighth of nine children and third son of Anton Wallner and Anna Sirk Wallner. Both of his parents were immigrants from Austria who settled in New Bedford. His father was a baker and ran a bakery in New Bedford. For a few years the Wallners moved to Fall River and opened a bakery there, but not long after Siegfried's birth they moved back to New Bedford where Siegfried grew up.

As a child, like all of the Wallner children, Siegfried learned to play an instrument. He learned to play violin. Siegfried later taught himself to play viola, cello and tuba, and he formed an orchestra named Unique Orchestra that played at dances and weddings.

Siegfried married twice. He was first married to Marcia Devereaux Jarratt on September 2, 1922, and they had two sons, Siegfried Jr (who later changed his name to Jon Wallner) and Jack. After Marcia and Siegfried were divorced, he married Anastasia Tworekeveno, and they had a daughter.

In WWI he fought for Germany on the Eastern front, first as a machine gunner and later as a pilot. He did not engage against any American forces.

After the war, Siegfried studied at the New Bedford Textile School where his older brother Tom had graduated. He started out on a career in textiles working for his brother Tom in Virginia for several years in the early 1920s. But the wunderlist in Siegfried soon had him venturing off into many other enterprises in many places around the world. Eventually he got involved in dealing munitions with various heads of foreign governments. Some of his endeavors include

• involved in some of the biggest real estate deals of the time in Florida in the 1920's (see "Florida in the Making" page 290)
• Tapping into the winemaking skills of his ancestors in Austria, he was involved in making champagne from grapefruit with [August Hecksher. He was president of Citrus Champagne in Duval FL in 1935
• Worked with Earl Fruit Co/DiGiorgio Fruit Co in developing/arranging packaging and shipping methods for perishable fruits (bananas, etc.)
• had dealings in the revolution in Venezuela against General Vincente Gomez
• had connections with and fighting for Gutelio Vargas in Brazil
• ran a slot machine business in Habana until stopped by Geraldo Machado
• had a very close friendship with Eva Peron in Argentina that preceded her marriage to Peron, and the friendship continued into her time in power
• had a connection with Batista in Cuba; had a price put on his head by Castro; Siegfried reciprocated by putting a price on Castro's
• in Europe represented Trujillo of Santo Dominica
• in the Congo, supported Moise Tshombe of Katagna against the Kennedys and the UN
• In association with Sir Basil Zaharov was involved in munitions and arms trade with various countries;
• Wrote a story about Cuban rum in the "American Wine and Liquor Journal"

He was the subject of the character "Gottlieb von X" in the autobiograpy "Gunrunner" by Major Robert Turp (printed in Great Britain, ISBN 0 491 000692 6).

Siegfried lived at various times in New York, Brazil, Cuba, London, France, Austria and Germany. He was debonair and charming. He had a collection of walking sticks that sheathed a hidden sword built into end of the handle. He always carried one with him. His nickname was "the Stick", and he had a personal logo of a stick figure of a man walking with a hat, cane and cigarette that he called "El Hombre de Baston". Postcards and letters that came from him from around the world to his sisters would have the signature stick figure stamped on them, and always seemed to carry with them an element of mystery and intrigue.

Siegfried was estranged from his children and ex-wives, but maintained a good relationship with his sisters. In 1959 he provided a voyage to Europe on the Queen Mary for all of his sisters, and he took them to visit some of their Austrian cousins and see the homes where their parents were born and raised.

Siegfried died in Spandau-Nord, West Berlin, Germany, on 6/30/1973 at the age of 73, and is interred in Pine Grove cemetery in New Bedford.