Carl Adolf Schleussner

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Carl Adolf Schleussner (born May 12, 1895 in Frankfurt am Main ; † November 12, 1959 there ) was a German chemist and manufacturer.

Life

Origin and studies

Carl Adolf Schleussner was the son of the factory owner Carl Moritz Schleussner and his wife Johanna Caroline Adele, née Laurenze. In 1914 he began studying chemistry, during which he attended the universities of Freiburg , Aachen , Frankfurt and Berlin . However, his studies were interrupted by his military service in the First World War, for which he had volunteered. In 1916 he became a lieutenant in the artillery , and then served in the air force . During his service he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Crown and Swords. After the war he continued his studies and graduated in 1919 with his doctorate in Berlin.

Twenties and thirties

In 1920 Schleussner started working in his father's factory ( Dr. C. Schleussner Trockenplattenfabrik AG ). There he initially headed the scientific department and dealt with the further development of X-ray film material . He was a member of the company's executive board from 1923. On January 1, 1926, he took over his father's position and became the sole director. This happened at a time when the company was in crisis. The company had missed the technical connection to roll film production , and the factory location on Elbestraße in the Bahnhofsviertel also caused problems. Because of the air pollution from the steam locomotives in the nearby train station, the plate material was often contaminated with soot particles. Schleussner sold the old factory and used the proceeds, together with financial support from the radio (see below), for a new start. The company's headquarters, including administration and sales, remained in Frankfurt, while the record production was relocated to a branch in Cologne . The rest of the production was relocated to Neu-Isenburg , where the better environmental conditions made it possible to start manufacturing celluloid films. In 1929 the company launched its first roll of celluloid film for photographic purposes called “Tempo-Rot-Film”. Just one year later, films were also produced with the "Tempo" emulsion. In May 1931 Schleussner founded Cella GmbH, his own celluloid and lacquer factory, which was initially located in Flörsheim and from 1934 in Wiesbaden-Biebrich . Celluloid raw films and varnishes based on cellulose were produced here. The profits from the company were partly used to buy shares in their own company. In 1926 only 17 percent of the shares were in family ownership, while Schleussner managed to get 75 percent of the shares into his possession by the mid-1930s. In 1938 the company was converted into a GmbH and renamed “Adox Fotowerke Dr. C. Schleussner GmbH "renamed.

Nazi period and post-war period

Schleussner's role during the Nazi era has not been sufficiently studied historically. As a member of the Stahlhelm he was incorporated into the SA , and since 1936 he was a member of the NSDAP . At the end of 1938 he bought the Wirgin brothers' camera factory in Wiesbaden, as well as their machines, tools and equipment, and took over the staff. The factory was run by Jews, who before the Nazis fled, and so the factory was liquidated. Schleussner later stated that he wanted to keep the jobs by continuing operations, and he therefore refused to take over the Wirgin brothers completely. With the help of the factory, Schleussner brought its own cameras onto the market in 1939 under the “Adox” brand. At the beginning of the Second World War , the factory in Wiesbaden was converted to the armaments factory and produced parts for aircraft engines. Further subsidiaries of the company, such as "Cella GmbH", followed. The actual photographic works were classified as "important to the war effort" and were initially allowed to continue working without restrictions. When the civil production of photo films was banned in March 1943, the production of X-ray and material analysis films was limited. During the war, the plants in Neu-Isenburg and Cologne were destroyed and rebuilt after the war. On July 15, 1945, they received permission from the US Army to resume operations. In 1948 he sold the factory in Wiesbaden back to Henry Wirgin, whereupon Schleussner relocated the Adox camera factory to the premises of "Cella GmbH" in Wiesbaden. Here in 1952 he produced his first successful own camera model, the “Adox Golf”, and in 1959 the “ADOX Polo” camera. After the war, he and his son Hans founded the “ Biotest Serum Institute GmbH ” in 1946 . This company dealt with the development and production of test sera for the determination of blood groups , especially the Rhesus factor .

Working in the radio

In addition to his work as managing director, he was actively and interested in broadcasting . He came into contact with radio technology during his military service as an aviator. In the 1920s, with the help of his father, he played a key role in founding the Südwestdeutsche Rundfunk AG (SÜWRAG) in Frankfurt. Schleussner was a delegate of the supervisory board on the executive board and actively influenced the form and organization of the Frankfurter Rundfunk. Economically, he hoped to make profits through the production and sale of radio receivers. Through his investments in the AG, the Schleussner family owned the majority of the shares, which made it easier for him to exert influence. He had won over his friend Hans Flesch for the station's artistic direction . After the beginning of broadcasting of the Südwestdeutscher Rundfunk on April 2, 1924, he gave the first radio lecture there and in 1925 founded the "Rundfunk Organizations GmbH". After his father resigned, he was a member of the administrative board of the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft in Berlin from 1931 . With the nationalization of broadcasting in 1932/33 Schleussner was forced to sell all shares in SÜWRAG and to withdraw, which, however, brought him a good profit, which he used for his photographic works.

1950s and death

In the early 1950s Schleussner traveled several times to Brazil and Argentina , as he was planning to enter the South American market. During one of these trips, he was hit by a car in Rio in 1952 and seriously injured. Schleussner died on November 12, 1959 in Frankfurt as a result of this accident.

literature

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personal data
SURNAME Schleussner, Carl Adolf
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German chemist and manufacturer
DATE OF BIRTH May 12, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Frankfurt am Main
DATE OF DEATH November 12, 1959
Place of death Frankfurt am Main