Werner von Siemens, 1872

Werner von Siemens, an inventor and visionary businessman, lent significant impetus to the still-young field of electrical engineering in the second half of the nineteenth century, and played a key role in fostering the development of the electrical industry. With his design of the pointer telegraph he laid the foundation for Siemens & Halske Telegraph Construction Company, which was founded in 1847 and soon developed into an international operation. In 1866 Werner von Siemens discovered the dynamo-electric principle, probably his most significant achievement in electrical engineering, which helped establish the idea that electricity could be used as a power source. The company also became known worldwide for its successful handling of technically complex, extremely high-risk projects, such as laying major trans-Atlantic cables and building the Indo-European telegraph line from London to Calcutta. In recognition of his scientific achievements for the benefit of society, Werner Siemens was ennobled by Emperor Friedrich III in 1888.

Sir William Siemens, 1875

Wilhelm Siemens, who was seven years younger than his brother Werner, was instrumental in establishing the company on international markets through his activities in England. From 1850 on, Wilhelm worked as an agent for Siemens & Halske in London. The independent British subsidiary "Siemens, Halske & Co." was founded in 1858 under his management for the manufacture and laying of submarine cables. After successfully laying cables in the Mediterranean, the company achieved a breakthrough in the tough British telegraphy market. Wilhelm - who took English nationality and changed his name to William - was not only a businessman but was also known for his scientific research, publications and involvement in various associations. He was knighted by Queen Victoria a few months before his death in November 1883.

Carl von Siemens, ca. 1860

Carl von Siemens, the younger brother of company founder Werner von Siemens, made a name for himself mainly through his business dealings in Russia. In 1853 he traveled to St. Petersburg to oversee the construction of the Russian telegraph network, for which Siemens & Halske had a contract. Here he quickly proved himself to be a decisive, capable businessman. In 1855 the Russian business, under his management, became a separate subsidiary, lending vital support to the parent company in Berlin. In 1869, Carl went to England, where he assisted his brother William with the business for more than a decade. In the early 1880s, returning to St. Petersburg, he injected new life into the Russian business. Carl von Siemens became the senior chief executive of Siemens & Halske in the early 1890s after Werner von Siemens retired from managing the company. It was in this capacity that Carl led the company’s transformation into a stock corporation. For his service to Russia, he was ennobled by Tsar Nicholas II in 1895.

Johann Georg Halske, ca. 1855

The master mechanic Johann Georg Halske, born on July 30, 1814 in Hamburg, started his own workshop in Berlin in 1844, which he ran together with his partner F.M. Böttcher. In 1847 Halske founded the Siemens & Halske Telegraph Construction Company together with Werner von Siemens. Halske was particularly involved in the construction and design of electrical equipment such as the press which enabled wires to be insulated with a seamless coat of gutta-percha, the pointer telegraph and the morse telegraph and measuring instruments. In 1867 he withdrew from the company because his views on company policy diverged from those of the Siemens brothers and devoted himself in his role as a Berlin city councilor to the administration of the city and the establishment of the Museum of Applied Art. He remained friends with Werner von Siemens until his death in 1890. Even after his departure from the company he co-founded he continued to support it, and participated financially in the Siemens pension fund that was founded in 1872.

Sigmund Schuckert, 1884

In 1873 the master mechanic and telegraph engineer Sigmund Schuckert, who was born in 1846 in Nuremberg, started up a small workshop for dynamometers and measuring equipment. With successful lighting and power transmission projects, the company soon prospered. Its production program included arc lights, switchgear, meters, lighting accessories, electric railways and later in particular searchlights. When Schuckert withdrew from the company in 1893 for health reasons, the reconstitution of the limited commercial partnership as the stock corporation "Elektrizitäts-Aktiengesellschaft vormals Schuckert & Co." was unavoidable because of the growing capital requirements. In 1903 the manufacturing facilities of EAG were merged with the power engineering activities of Siemens & Halske to form Siemens-Schuckertwerke. Like Werner von Siemens, Sigmund Schuckert was also prompt in introducing social measures in his company, such as health insurance and pensions, Christmas bonuses and the 10-hour day.

Erwin Moritz Reiniger, undated

In 1877 the university mechanic Erwin Moritz Reiniger, who was born in 1854 in Erlangen, opened a workshop for the manufacture of precision mechanics and electrical engineering equipment. In 1886 he founded the company Reiniger, Gebbert & Schall (RGS) with his former suppliers Max Julius Gebbert and Karl Schall, which manufactured medical measurement equipment up until the mid 1890s and then - after the discovery of X-rays in 1895 - primarily produced X-ray tubes. In 1907 the RGS was converted into a stock corporation and thereafter gradually developed to become a major company. At the end of 1924 it formed a joint marketing company with Siemens & Halske and in 1932 Siemens-Reiniger-Werke AG was founded, which ranked before the Second World War as the world's largest specialist in electro-medical products. Erwin Moritz Reiniger had already withdrawn from the company in 1895 when he acquired the Bavarian Incandescent Lamp Factory in Munich, which was unsuccessful, as was also another company he founded. Reiniger died on April 2, 1909 in Munich.