Wilhelm Volkmann

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Wilhelm Volkmann (* 12. June 1837 in Leipzig , † 24. December 1896 ibid ) was a German bookseller and publisher . Volkmann was from 1876 a city councilor and since 1880 the city council in Leipzig.

Life

family

Wilhelm came from the Volkmann family, from which numerous scientists and entrepreneurs emerged. His father was the anatomist and physiologist Alfred Wilhelm Volkmann (1801–1877). He was a professor at the University of Dorpat and later at the University of Halle , where he was appointed rector several times . Alfred Wilhelm married on September 20, 1828 in Halle (Saale) Adelheit ( Adele ) (born March 25, 1808 in Leipzig; † August 22, 1884 in Halle), the daughter of Gottfried Christoph Härtel (1763-1827), owner of a book - and music store.

Wilhelm was one of the couple's twelve children. His older brother Richard von Volkmann (1830–1889) became a surgeon and professor at Halle University. In 1895 he received personal nobility in the Kingdom of Prussia . Of her sisters Anna (* December 6, 1832 - May 29, 1901) married the legal scholar August Anschütz and Fanny (* December 18, 1841 - March 24, 1867) the psychologist and university professor Rudolf Heidenhain .

Professional background

Wilhelm first attended the pedagogy in the Francke Foundations in Halle and later the monastery school in Zerbst . But he also received private lessons. From 1856 to 1859 Volkmann completed his training as a bookseller with Hermann Eduard Anton in Halle. He studied literature and history at Leipzig University and worked briefly in Hermann Burdach's bookstore in Dresden . In 1860 he began an apprenticeship as a printer at the Breitkopf & Härtel publishing house in Leipzig.

Volkmann was the grandson of the publisher's owner Gottfried Christoph Härtel and was appointed authorized signatory of the publisher in 1867 . In 1873 he became a partner and in 1880, together with his cousin and partner Oskar von Hase , senior partner and from 1884 to 1896 co-owner of the Breitkopf & Härtel company in Leipzig. He made a great contribution to increasing the efficiency of the printing house. From 1875 to 1884 he administered the office of accounting officer of the German Book Printers Association and was principal chairman and cantor of the relief funds for printing assistants.

Volkmann had been a city councilor since 1876 and had been a member of the Leipzig city council since 1880. In 1894 he became treasurer of the Exchange Association of German Booksellers in Leipzig. Volkmann donated 1,000 gold marks , the interest of which was intended for Christmas presents in the four poor houses in Leipzig. He died on December 24, 1896, at the age of 59, in his native Leipzig.

Marriage and offspring

Wilhelm Volkmann married Elisabeth, the daughter of Friedrich Grimmer. After her husband's death in 1896, she became a partner in the Breitkopf & Härtel publishing house. Their son Ludwig Volkmann (1870–1947) became an art historian . He was the first chairman of the German Book Trade Association and president of the International Exhibition for Book Trade and Graphics in Leipzig, which he organized . In 1906 his mother transferred her shares in the Breitkopf & Härtel company to him, and he took over the management. In 1896, Ludwig married Henriette Ferdinande Luise Ida Maßmann, the daughter of the Imperial Court Council and later Senate President Wilhelm Maßmann .

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personal data
SURNAME Volkmann, Wilhelm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German publisher and bookseller
DATE OF BIRTH June 12, 1837
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH December 24, 1896
Place of death Leipzig