Folkert Christopher Becker

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Folkert Christopher Becker (born September 28, 1805 in Filsum , East Friesland ; † February 12, 1890 in New York City ) was a German-Dutch-American inventor and entrepreneur .

Life

Christopher Becker was born on September 28, 1805 as the son of Christopher Folkert Becker (1770-1845), carpenter, clockmaker, mechanic and artist, and his wife Ille Ubben (1779-1862) in Filsum.

In 1828 he went to Groningen and worked there as an instrument maker at the university . There, with Sibrandus Stratingh, he was the first to develop a vehicle with an engine (in this case steam) in the Netherlands. This happened on March 22nd, 1834, when he and his teacher took the first "drive" through the streets of Groningen.

The Provincial Groninger Courant reported on March 25, 1834:

“In the early hours of this morning, on March 22nd, Messrs. Stratingh and Becker made the first test drive with their steam vehicle, which led through the hilly and winding streets of the city with a positive result. The developers were so satisfied with the test that they believe that a few small improvements will enable the vehicle not only to drive over new stone and rock roads without problems, but also over the bumpy cobblestone streets [...] "

In 1835 he also developed an electric vehicle there with Stratingh. This is likely the world's first electrically powered vehicle.

Becker later went to Arnhem , where he ran his own factory for scales and barometers in 1836 and married Louise J. Marius on September 13, 1842, from whom he had four sons: Christian (born August 16, 1844), Ernst, Julius and Henri .

In 1854 he emigrated to New York with his wife and 4 sons, where he founded the company "Becker & Sons" with the eldest sons Christian and Ernst and manufactured nautical and astronomical equipment. When the American Civil War broke out, the Becker's returned to Holland, after the end of the war Christopher and the two eldest sons (Christian and Ernst) drove back to the USA (New Jersey), while the younger sons (Julius and Henri) set up a new company in Europe "Becker & Sons" founded with branches in Rotterdam , Delft and Brussels .

Christopher Becker is the great-great-great-grandfather of Klaus Dieter Frers, the inventor of the Artega GT sports car .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Christopher Becker on gedbas.genealogy.net, accessed on May 28, 2019.
  2. ↑ Sibrandus Stratingh (1785-1841): Professor of Chemistry and Technology. University of Groningen, October 2, 2015 (English, Dutch ).;
  3. ↑ Martin Doppelbauer: The Invention of the Electric Motor 1800–1854 , accessed on May 28, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b Christopher Becker and the Becker Companies , accessed May 28, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Das Autochen": Artega will be delivering the Karolino electric city car in series from October , accessed on May 28, 2019.
personal data
SURNAME Becker, Folkert Christopher
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-Dutch-American inventor and entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1805
PLACE OF BIRTH Filsum , East Frisia
DATE OF DEATH February 12, 1890
Place of death New York City