Herrmann Robert Reiss

Robert Reiss

Herrmann Robert Reiss (born December 20, 1844 in Groß Bubainen , East Prussia ; † November 11, 1911 in Liebenwerda ) was a German surveyor , inventor and entrepreneur .

biography

Reiss was born in Groß Bubainen am Pregel in East Prussia and grew up as the son of a river boatman. The family had a small farm as a sideline . He learned the trade of land surveyor in East Prussia. His profession led Reiss to Landsberg an der Warthe around 1864 , where he met his future wife Mathilde Pauline Charlotte Märten. He had six children with her. Between 1868 and 1881, the family moved with him to the respective locations where he worked as a surveyor. In 1881 he signed a two-year contract with the Royal Prussian Land Registry in Liebenwerda . His contract required him to pay for some of his office supplies such as feathers , sealing wax , packing materials, and more from his salary. Reiss was thus forced to get inexpensive office supplies. In 1882 died within a few days three of his children at a scarlet fever - epidemic . However, the family did not have the money to bury the children. A collection of donations carried out in the city then helped the family alleviate the greatest misery. With the entry into force of a law that made an examination a condition for the land survey, his situation worsened because he could not prove this examination. Reiss was now trying to find new sources of income for himself and his family.

Seal mark , around 1890

Seal mark, around 1900

Probably as a sideline, Robert Reiss began selling goods for surveyors by mail in 1882 , as well as household and colonial goods . His experience as a surveyor helped him to respond to customer requests better than the established companies. In 1885 he made his mail order business his main business and terminated his employee contract. In 1889 he started his own production of range sticks . Reiss continued to expand its production in the following years - on the one hand to become independent of suppliers, on the other hand to be able to deliver better quality. In addition to measuring and leveling staff , he also manufactured office furniture . Until 1896 Reiss cooperated with the Liebenwerda company Maibuhr & Hentschel in the production of various geodetic instruments. Reiss tried to build up a mass production of precision mechanical devices with his partners , but after a break in business relations they manufactured them in-house. End 1896, the company was the firm Technical shipping business R. Reiss into a general partnership (oHG) with seat converted into Liebenwerda. Reiss specifically recruited highly qualified staff to expand its production, but also provided training in-house. Innovations such as the first sit-stand desk in Germany brought the company further growth.

In local politics, Robert Reiss was active as a city ​​councilor in Liebenwerda. He campaigned for an expansion of the infrastructure . But he also tried to improve the social and economic situation of his employees. In 1900 a company health insurance fund was founded . Employees in his company had extensive rights. Due to the high quality standards, but also by the socially progressive position of his employees was a feeling of togetherness , which is in the expression Reissianer reflected. Regular cultural events were held for employees and their families. But also for the citizens of Liebenwerda, especially for the Protestant parish, Robert Reiss donated a considerable part of his fortune to charitable purposes.

Robert Reiss expanded his company into one of the world's largest manufacturers of precision engineering by 1911. In 1909 he was appointed purveyor to the royal court of the Kingdom of Romania . Numerous awards and medals at international exhibitions prove the reputation of the Reiss company. In autumn 1911 Robert Reiss fell ill with pneumonia , from which he died on November 11, 1911 in Liebenwerda. Hundreds of Liebenwerda residents, business partners and employees took part in the funeral procession. His son Paul Reiss took over the company as the sole shareholder.

Honors

• On November 22, 2007, 125 years after the company was founded, the elementary school and high school in Bad Liebenwerda were named after Robert Reiss.

literature

• Tim S. Müller: Robert and Paul Reiss. Exporters to all countries in the world. (= Company history of the Reiss company , volume 1.) Reiss office furniture, Bad Liebenwerda 2007, without ISBN. ( DNB 99069125X )

Web links

Commons : Robert Reiss  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• History of today's company Reiss Büromöbel GmbH , accessed on September 21, 2017