Wilhelm Fortmann

Wilhelm Christian Diedrich Fortmann (born April 30, 1814 in Oldenburg ; † May 12, 1894 ibid) was a German entrepreneur . In 1886 he founded the private bank W. Fortmann & Sons as a private banker with his sons .

biography

Fortmann came from an old family of farmers and craftsmen from the Delmenhorster Geest and was the son of master plumber Friedrich Diedrich Fortmann (1780–1861) and his wife Gesine Margarethe nee. Stuven (1776-1835). He grew up in Oldenburg, attended the lower classes of grammar school here and completed an apprenticeship as a plumber in his father's company. He then went on the usual wanderings for journeymen at the time , which led him to London and Paris , where he was accepted into the Masonic Lodge Tolerance in 1836 . In 1842 he also joined the Oldenburg lodge, the Golden Hirsch . After his return, Fortmann took over his father's plumber's workshop, which he gave up in 1850 because he was more of an entrepreneur than a craftsman. His first big project in Oldenburg was the construction of a gas station and the installation of street lighting using gas , as he had seen during his wanderings in London. Since 1846 he tried to get a concession, which the city administration refused for the time being, because they wanted to wait for the experiences of other cities. Fortmann was not deterred by the initial difficulties. Together with the master plumber Ernst Gottlieb Büsing and two other partners, he raised the necessary capital and, after lengthy negotiations, was able to conclude a contract with the municipal authorities in 1853, which guaranteed his company a privilege for 25 years. Since the preparatory work had already started, the construction of the gas works was completed in the same year and the city's first gas street lighting with 109 lamps was installed. In the joint management, the two shareholders agreed on a division of labor. Büsing dealt with the technical side of the operation, while Fortmann took care of the commercial and entrepreneurial issues. After Büsing's early death, Fortmann managed the profitable company alone, which passed into his possession in 1870/74 after the purchase of all the shares in stranger hands and was only sold by his heirs to the city of Oldenburg in 1901. In 1862 Fortmann built another gas works in Varel and took a stake in the Oldenburg insurance company , which he headed as director from 1872 to 1894 . On May 1, 1886, he and his three sons founded the W. Fortmann & Söhne banking house, which existed until 2015.

The organizationally talented and versatile Fortmann, who can be assigned to the type of entrepreneur-craftsman that appeared particularly in the early phase of industrialization, was not satisfied with his business successes, but also actively participated in the political life of the city and the country. Since January 1848 he was a member of the Oldenburg city council and belonged to the liberal group on this body that urged the Grand Duke to grant a constitution . Fortmann continued to campaign for the liberal demands in the following months. In 1859 he joined the German National Association , the predecessor organization of the liberal parties, and was a member of the Oldenburg Parliament from 1863 to 1866 . As a candidate for the National Liberals, he applied in vain for a seat in the Reichstag in 1884 and 1885 .

family

Fortmann had been with Elise Hermine Sophie born on October 24, 1841. Meyer (1821–1882) married, the daughter of the Oldenburg master locksmith Kaspar Nikolaus Meyer and his wife Elisabeth born. Rubarth. The marriage had three sons, of whom Wilhelm (1844–1925) became head of the gas company, August (1849–1935) Higher Regional Court and Ernst (1850–1892) became insurance director. His granddaughter Berta (1880–1923) became the first wife of the later Reich Minister Erich Koch-Weser (1875–1944).

literature

• Fortmann, Wilhelm Christian Diedrich. In: Hans Friedl u. a. (Ed.): Biographical manual for the history of the state of Oldenburg . Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Isensee, Oldenburg 1992, ISBN 3-89442-135-5 , pp. 200-201 ( online ).