Adolf Daimler (8 September 1871 – 24 March 1913) was the son of German inventor and industrialist

Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (; 17 March 1834 – 6 March 1900) was a German engineer, industrial designer and industrialist born in Schorndorf (Kingdom of Württemberg, a federal state of the German Confederation), in what is now Germany. He was a ...

. A mechanical engineer by training, Adolf became managing director and co-owner of his father's firm

Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (abbreviated as DMG, also known as ''Daimler Motors Corporation'') was a German engineering company and later automobile manufacturer, in operation from 1890 until 1926. Founded by Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900) and ...

in 1900. Along with his brother

Paul Daimler Paul Daimler (13 September 1869 – 15 December 1945) was a German mechanical engineer who designed automobiles. He was the eldest child of Gottlieb Daimler who founded Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and (with Wilhelm Maybach) invented the pet ...

, Adolf is credited with developing the distinctive Mercedes 3-pointed star logo.

Biography

Adolf Daimler was born on September 8, 1871, in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

, then the capital of the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

. He was the second son of Gottlieb Daimler and spent his childhood in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

when his father served as technical director at the

Deutz AG Deutz AG is a German internal combustion engine manufacturer, based in Porz, Cologne, Germany. History The company was founded by Nicolaus Otto, the inventor of the four-stroke internal combustion engine, and his partner Eugen Langen on 31 ...

gas engine factory. In 1882, the family moved to

Bad Cannstatt Bad Cannstatt, also called Cannstatt (until July 23, 1933) or Kannstadt (until 1900), is one of the outer stadtbezirke, or city boroughs, of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Bad Cannstatt is the oldest and most populous of Stuttgart's b ...

, one of the outer city districts of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, then the capital of the

Kingdom of Württemberg The Kingdom of Württemberg (german: Königreich Württemberg ) was a German state that existed from 1805 to 1918, located within the area that is now Baden-Württemberg. The kingdom was a continuation of the Duchy of Württemberg, which exist ...

. Adolf attended the nearby Royal Institute of Stuttgart (german: Königliche Realanstalt zu Stuttgart), where he graduated in 1891. After an apprenticeship at the

Maschinenfabrik Esslingen Maschinenfabrik Esslingen (ME), was a German engineering firm that manufactured locomotives, tramways, railway wagons, roll-blocks, technical equipment for the railways, (turntables and traversers), bridges, steel structures, pumps and boilers. ...

company, he studied mechanical engineering at the

University of Stuttgart The University of Stuttgart (german: Universität Stuttgart) is a leading research university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized into 10 faculties. It is one of the oldest technical universities in Germany wit ...

from 1895 to 1898. During this time he married Marie Schuler. In 1899 Adolf joined his father's company,

(DMG), which had been founded in 1890. There he helped develop the Mercedes brand. He and his brother

adapted a three-pointed star to represent the company and trademarked it in 1900. Their father had once used such a symbol to mark the family's house on a postcard depicting a view of the town of Deutz. Adolf became chief engineer in 1900 and deputy board member in 1904. In 1907, he was appointed

Chief Operating Officer A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...

and appointed to the

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

. After a long illness, Adolf died on March 24, 1913 in the university town of

Tübingen Tübingen (, , Swabian: ''Dibenga'') is a traditional university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer rivers. about one in thr ...

. His funeral was held on March 26, 1913 at Uff Cemetery in Bad Cannstatt, where his father had already been laid to rest a few years earlier. His funeral was attended by a number of industrialist dignitaries, including

Robert Bosch Robert Bosch (23 September 1861 – 12 March 1942) was a German industrialist, engineer and inventor, founder of Robert Bosch GmbH. Biography Bosch was born in Albeck, a village to the northeast of Ulm in southern Germany as the eleventh of t ...

Honors

* Royal Order of Frederick I of Württemberg Knight's Cross 1st Class *

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful se ...

4th class

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daimler, Adolf 1871 births 1913 deaths Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft German automotive pioneers Engineers from Karlsruhe 19th-century German inventors People associated with the internal combustion engine Businesspeople from Karlsruhe