Eugene Polte
Eugen Polte (born July 12, 1849 in Magdeburg ; † May 31, 1911 in Magdeburg) was a German armaments manufacturer, inventor and royal councilor of commerce . The Polte works that he built were an important employer in Magdeburg.
Life
Polte was born the son of a bank clerk of Huguenot descent in Magdeburg. He spent his childhood and youth in Weimar , where he completed his Abitur at the Realgymnasium .
The technically interested Polte took up a position as a draftsman at Grusonwerk AG Buckau , formerly the machine factory and shipbuilding workshop of H.Gruson . He did his military service with the Magdeburg Pioneer Battalion No. 4 and took part in the Franco-German War in 1870/71 and the siege of Paris.
Between 1872 and 1874 Polte studied at the Berlin Business Academy . At the age of 26 he took over the position of chief engineer in the Grusonwerk Magdeburg in 1875. Armaments technology and especially the use of explosives fell into his area of responsibility.
In 1885, Polte acquired a Magdeburg valve factory with the support of the entrepreneur Rudolf Wolf . While 23 people were initially employed, the number of employees tripled within two years. Polte's breakthrough to a large company came when the Prussian War Ministry commissioned him to deliver 40 million cartridge cases of caliber 7.92 × 57 mm for the then new Army Rifle 98 . Polte's company became one of the largest ammunition producers in Germany. In order to process the large order, Polte invested in a new production building, new machines and the training of skilled workers. To increase efficiency, he developed an automated feed of workpieces to the machines and created a new rolling process in which rolling balls took over the rolling process. Polte designed various precision machines and entire production lines for the production of bullet cases and is thus one of the pioneers of automated production.
Polte was with Hedwig Agnes Louise, geb. Heiligenstaedt married. The couple had two daughters, Margarete (1886–1977) and Katharina. After Polte's death, the Polte works were continued by his sons-in-law Martin Nathusius and Arnulf Freiherr von Gillern and rose again to one of the largest German ammunition suppliers before and during World War II .
Honors
In 1903 he was appointed to the Royal Council of Commerce. In 1909 the Technical University of Berlin-Charlottenburg (as the successor to the trade academy) awarded him an honorary doctorate (Dr.-Ing. E. h.) For his scientific work in the field of weapons technology . The city of Magdeburg temporarily named a street in his honor as Poltestrasse .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Martin Nathusius, The "Magdeburger Line" of the Nathusius family, Illustrated line of succession , undated, printed: IRL Imprimeries Reunies Lausanne, Saint-Sulpice (Switzerland) 1985
literature
- Manfred Beckert: Polte, Eugen. In: Guido Heinrich, Gunter Schandera (ed.): Magdeburg Biographical Lexicon 19th and 20th centuries. Biographical lexicon for the state capital Magdeburg and the districts of Bördekreis, Jerichower Land, Ohrekreis and Schönebeck. Scriptum, Magdeburg 2002, ISBN 3-933046-49-1 .
- Martin Wiehle : Magdeburg personalities. Published by the Magistrate of the City of Magdeburg, Department of Culture. imPuls Verlag, Magdeburg 1993, ISBN 3-910146-06-6 .
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Polte, Eugene |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German entrepreneur, armaments manufacturer, inventor and royal councilor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 12, 1849 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Magdeburg |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 31, 1911 |
| Place of death | Magdeburg |