Karl Merck

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Karl Emanuel Merck (born January 31, 1886 in Darmstadt ; † December 31, 1968 there ) was a German industrialist . In the time of National Socialism he belonged to the circle of military economic leaders .

Life

Karl Emanuel Merck was born on January 31, 1886 in Darmstadt as the son of the later secret councilor Louis Merck and comes from the well-known Darmstadt industrial family, which owns the Chemische Werke E. Merck AG Darmstadt. Heinrich Emanuel Merck's great-grandson (1794–1855) attended the Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium in his hometown. He then completed a two-year commercial apprenticeship in Hamburg and New York City . He then studied from 1906 at the Technical University of Dresden and at the University of Strasbourg . He then completed his military service and became a lieutenant on January 27, 1911promoted to the cavalry . He then joined the reserve . In 1912 he was promoted to Dr. rer. nat. received his doctorate and joined E. Merck on October 1, 1912 . From 1913 he was a partner in the family business.

On a 1914 trip around the world started, he was in Hong Kong from the outbreak of the First World War surprised and after Tsingtao convened . There he took as a lieutenant in the reserve in the III. Sea battalion participated in the defense of Tsingtau . After conquering the city in November 1914, Merck was captured by Japanese troops and brought to Japan . He was only released from captivity in December 1919. He returned to Germany and was initially scientific director at Merck. From 1932 Merck was chairman of the management board of Merck. In spring 1933 he became a member of the NSDAP .

Merck was President of the Hessian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a leading member of a number of professional associations. He was a member of the Reich Health Council and since 1934 a member of the Advisory Board for Public Health of the Reich leadership of the NSDAP.

On the 50th birthday of Adolf Hitler on April 20, 1939, Karl Merck sent him a picture telegram with the text "On his 50th birthday send the leader of the German people the warmest congratulations at the same time as the pledge of unchangeable loyalty. Operational manager and followers of the E. Merck company , Darmstadt."

For a long time in the 1930s, Karl Merck was deputy chairman of the Association of Friends of the Technical University of Darmstadt . In particular for this he was honored in 1936 with the title of Honorary Senator of the Technical University of Darmstadt . In the 1950s he was its treasurer and long-time secretary and from 1958 to 1965 its first chairman. Then he was their honorary president.

After E. Merck Aktiengesellschaft was founded in 1953, he was its chairman until 1959 and chairman of the supervisory board from 1961 to 1964.

Karl Merck died in December 1968 at the age of 82. He was buried in the old cemetery in Darmstadt. A few months earlier, his wife Gertrud Merck, nee. Pattenhausen died (1891–1966). The daughters Elisabeth are married from the marriage. Kraft and Ursula married Reifferscheid, as well as the sons Carl-Christoph (1923–1945) and Nikolaus emerged.

Honors

literature

  • Ulrich Eisenbach (Ed.): From the beginnings of industrialization to the engineering region. 150 years IHK Darmstadt Rhein Main Neckar, Darmstadt 2012.
  • Erich Stockhorst: Who was what in the 3rd Reich. 5000 heads, Wiesbaden 1980.
  • Fred Kautz: "Woe to the lie! It doesn't free you." Dealing with the Nazi past in the "Stadtlexikon Darmstadt" A German example, Lich 2008.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Ernst Klee : The dictionary of persons on the Third Reich. Who was what before and after 1945 . Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, second updated edition, Frankfurt am Main 2005, ISBN 978-3-596-16048-8 , p. 404.
  2. ↑ D. Hoffmann and M. Walker: Physicists between autonomy and adaptation. Wiley-VCH, 2007, ISBN 3-527-40585-2 , p. 466. Restricted preview in the Google book search
personal data
SURNAME Merck, Karl
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Merck, Karl Emanuel (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German industrialist
DATE OF BIRTH January 31, 1886
PLACE OF BIRTH Darmstadt
DATE OF DEATH December 31, 1968
Place of death Darmstadt