Emil Ludwig Siepmann known as Emil Siepmann (; August 25, 1863 – November 2, 1950) was a German industrialist, patron and politician. He served as a member of the District Council of Arnsberg from 1904 to 1915. Siepmann was one of the founders of

Siepmann The Siepmann family () is an over 200-year-old entrepreneurial dynasty originally from Hagen notable for their activities in the North Rhine-Westphalian coal, steel, ammunition, armaments industry as well as important supplier to the automotive, ...

, together with his younger brother

Hugo Siepmann Richard Hugo Siepmann known as Hugo Siepmann (; May 24, 1868 – October 4, 1950) was a German industrialist and Patronage, patron. He was a member of the Siepmann, Siepmann industrial family, originally hailing from Hagen, Hagen, Germany, known ...

and was also a long-term executive director of Sparkasse Warstein from 1909 to 1929. He had ''Emil-Siepmann-Straße'' in Warstein named after him.

Early life and education

Emil Ludwig Siepmann was born in

Hagen Hagen () is the Largest cities in Germany, 41st-largest List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany. The municipality is located in the States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the south eastern edge of the R ...

Province of Westphalia The Province of Westphalia () was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia from 1815 to 1946. In turn, Prussia was the largest component state of the German Empire from 1871 to 1918, of the Weimar Republic and from 1918 ...

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

on August 25, 1863, the third of six children, to Heinrich-Wilhelm Siepmann (1827-1902) and Louise (née Siepmann; 1828-1899). His father was the proprietor of the lumber wholesale company ''H.W. Siepmann'' in

. Both his maternal and paternal ancestors hailed from

Schwelm Schwelm is a town in the district of Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis in the administrative region of Arnsberg within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Geography Schwelm is situated in the southeast of the "''Ruhrgebiet''", the Ruhr district of Germany, be ...

and farmed on grounds named ''Windgarten, Auf der Weuste'' and ''Auf der Kemna''. Those acreages are today still owned by distant relatives of the family. Siepmann hailed from a privileged background, which was deprived by the downturn of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870/71. He completed a commercial apprenticeship since his parents were not able to afford university studies in the first place, and therefore passed on the opportunity to complete the

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

. After completing his apprenticeship, Siepmann served one year as a volunteer soldier on the

Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment The Royal Bavarian Infantry Lifeguards Regiment (') was a household- lifeguard (bodyguard) regiment of the Bavarian kings from the end of the Napoleonic Wars until the fall of the Wittelsbach monarchy and the subsequent disbanding of the Bavaria ...

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

Career

After completing his military service, Siepmann worked in the

railway industry Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

, until his mid-20s. In the week before new years 1891, he went back to his home town of Warstein, where he was offered a position by his brother-in-law Louis Peters who had taken over the former manufacturing plant of Hüsing & Company in Warstein. They were known for producing spades, shovels, hay and manure forks forged from steel and iron. From this period the company was named Peters & Co, however the two initiators and entrepreneurs behind it were Emil and

. He was the commercial and technical director while his brother, also a partner, was mainly active in the distribution of the products. Around 1895 they employed already about 90 people and became very influential local industrialists. Over time, the company was completely converted to drop forging. In 1916 a new hammer was built with an 85 ton anvil. That was the heaviest hammer that existed in a production plant in Germany at the time. All bridges from Soest to Warstein had to be reinforced for its transport to Siepmann's works. The company had been an important supplier to the bicycle and later to the automobile and railroad industries since the turn of the century. Siepmann was also active as a patron in his workforce and the place. In 1921, the Siepmann brothers donated 250,000 marks (equal to about 1m$ today's currency) for the construction of a children's home on the island of Norderney. He also put his skills at the service of the public when he was elected to the district council

Arnsberg Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochs ...

in November 1904 in the regular supplementary election from the electoral association of larger landowners. He campaigned for new railway connections and a power station. He was a member of the relevant commissions. From 1909 to 1929 he was also a board member of the Sparkasse Warstein.

Personal life

In 1896, Emil Siepmann married Marie Magdalene Conradine (née Schuette; 1875-1941). The couple had five children of which four reached adulthood. * Hans Siepmann (November 4, 1897 - July 31, 1919); deemed successor of Emil but died early aged 22. * Lotte Siepmann (April 8, 1900 - January 7, 1970); married Dr. med. Carl Mueller of Soest * Gerhard Siepmann (1904-1904); died in childbed * Ernst Ludwig Siepmann (November 20, 1906 - April 21, 1968); director at

* Kaethe Siepmann (February 12, 1910 - June 13, 1986); married Carl VoswinkelEvangelical Church Records, Warstein of Soest; four children, including Peter Voswinckel (b. 1951) Siepmann resided closely to his brothers family as well. They shared two residences on split acreage. While Hugo and family occupied the house at ''Hauptstrasse 145'', he owned the house at ''Hauptstrasse 143'' in Warstein. He died only four weeks after his younger brother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siepmann, Emil 1863 births 1950 deaths German industrialists 20th-century German politicians