Ernst von Waldthausen

Ernst von Waldthausen

Gustav Ernst von Waldthausen (born May 20, 1811 in Essen , † January 22, 1883 there ) was a German businessman and entrepreneur . He served temporarily as President of the Chamber of Commerce and City Councilor , carried the honorary title of " Kommerzienrat " and was a member of the influential industrial family Waldthausen .

Life

After completing his school and professional training, Ernst von Waldthausen and his brother Julius followed in the footsteps of his father Conrad Waldthausen and in 1836 became a partner in his father's wool trading company Wilhelm & Conrad Waldthausen . From 1842 he was designated as the owner, in 1873 after the death of his brother he continued the wool trading business as the sole owner.

Ernst von Waldthausen continued to expand the wool trading business in relation to both the purchasing and sales markets. On his numerous business trips his experience in human knowledge and technical understanding increased. He extended the catchment area in the west to France and Great Britain. In the east he established business relationships as far as Russia.

Ernst von Waldthausen recognized the importance of coal and steel early on. So he was more and more interested in the up-and-coming Rhenish-Westphalian industry. He invested the capital he had gained in the wool trade in expanding mining and the steel industry, thus supporting the men of the founding period such as Franz Haniel and Alfred Krupp . Ernst von Waldthausen was one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in Essen after 1845.

He was elected President of the Essen Chamber of Commerce as the successor to Heinrich Theodor Sölling in 1848. It is noteworthy that he retained this post until his death in 1883.

As part of his mining activities, he founded Arenbergsche AG for mining and smelting in 1856 . Investments in the “Emma” and “Blankenstein” collieries followed. He also recognized that the transport routes played an essential role and was particularly committed to the expansion of railways and waterways. He made several representations in this matter to the Prussian finance and trade minister.

In recognition of his services, Ernst von Waldthausen received the honorary title of "Kommerzienrat" in 1861. From 1877 until his death he was a city councilor in Essen. He found his final resting place in the Bredeney cemetery .

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  A listed burial site at the Bredeney cemetery

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  The plaque of the grave of Ernst von Waldthausen is on the top right

literature

• Erwin Dickhoff: Essen heads. Who was what Essen, Verlag Richard Bacht, 1985, ISBN 3-87034-037-1 .
• Essen contributions. Contributions to the history of the city and monastery of Essen. Booklet 41. Essen, Fredebeul & Koenen, 1923.
• Klara van Eyll : Ernst Waldthausen (1811–1883) , in: Rheinisch-Westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien, Volume 9, Münster 1967, pp. 14–38.