Ernst Mahler (October 17, 1887 – July 30, 1967) was an Austrian

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and leader of the

Kimberly-Clark Corporation Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand na ...

in Wisconsin. Mahler developed, refined, and commercialized various popular products and processes of

papermaking Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...

. He was also instrumental in the foundation of the

Institute of Paper Science and Technology The Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI), is a research institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Founded in 1929 as the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin, it moved to Georgia Tech's campus in 1989, and integrated its op ...

(IPST) as well as the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI).

Early life and education

Mahler was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

on October 17, 1887. He went to

Darmstadt, Germany Darmstadt () is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse a ...

to attend

Darmstadt University of Technology Darmstadt () is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse a ...

, and studied industrial chemistry, specializing in cellulose chemistry and the science of papermaking. He graduated with distinction in 1912. Mahler came to the United States in 1912 and became a naturalized citizen in 1917. He took employment with

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

Neenah Neenah () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, in the East North Central States, north central United States. It is situated on the banks of Lake Winnebago, Little Lake Butte des Morts, and the Fox River (Wiscon ...

, Wisconsin, and served as the papermaking company's head chemist. He married Carol Lyon of Minneapolis in August, 1918.

Career

Mahler spearheaded research and development at his company, and perfected numerous innovative chemical processes. His development of creped wadding, a soft and fluffy absorbent material, became over time one of Kimberley-Clark's most important products and the source of billions of dollars in global sales. During World War I, creped wadding made from paper had been developed as a cotton substitute for surgical dressings; under Mahler's commercialization process, it became the basis of such well-known products as

Kleenex Kleenex is a brand name for a variety of paper-based products such as facial tissue, bathroom tissue, paper towels, tampons, and diapers. Often used informally as a genericized trademark for facial tissue in the United States and Canada, the nam ...

and

Kotex Kotex is an American brand of menstrual hygiene products, which includes the Kotex maxi, thin and ultra thin pads, the Security tampons, and the Lightdays pantiliners. Most recently, the company has added U by Kotex to its line of menstrual hy ...

. Mahler rose through the corporate hierarchy from chemist to Executive Vice President in 1937. He led Kimberly-Clark until his retirement in 1952. The US

Army Service Forces The Army Service Forces was one of the three autonomous components of the United States Army during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces, created on 9 March 1942. By dividing the Army into three large comman ...

appointed Mahler to their purchase policy division during World War II. After the war, he spent further time as a consultant for the reconstitution of papermaking industries in Belgium, Holland, France and Germany. For these services, Mahler was awarded the US Army Medal of Freedom in 1946. Mahler served on the board of directors of the Neenah West National Bank, and was an active town resident and civic leader. Prior to his death, he and his wife arranged to donate over 26 acres of their private property to the municipality for community recreational purposes. Mahler Park remains in steady use as a popular public park to the present day. Mahler died on July 30, 1967, and was buried in an Episcopal service at Oak Hill Cemetery in Neenah.

Awards and memberships

Mahler was widely recognized for his contributions to paper technology and business. He had been a founding member of the international Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI, est. 1915) and the

Institute of Paper Chemistry The Renewable Bioproducts Institute (RBI), is a research institute at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Founded in 1929 as the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin, it moved to Georgia Tech's campus in 1989, and integrated its op ...

(now IPST, est. 1929). TAPPI bestowed its gold award for industry contributions in 1932, and IPST appointed him as an honorary chairman. His alma mater Darmstadt augmented his 1912 degree with an honorary doctorate of engineering in 1958. Honorary degrees were also bestowed to him by

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducation ...

and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. In 1996, Mahler was named posthumously to the

Paper Industry International Hall of Fame The Atlas Science Center, formerly Paper Discovery Center, is a museum and workshop center focused on papermaking in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States, where paper is an important local industry. Programs in the past have included hands-on work ...

. In 1954 Mahler was elected chairman of the committee to organize what eventually became the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass, whose present collection numbers over 3,500 objects and hosts over 20,000 visitors while being revered in glass collecting communities worldwide.

References

External links

Map of Mahler Park
(PDF) in Neenah, WI.
Biography of Ernst Mahler at Paper Discovery Center museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mahler, Ernst 1887 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople Austrian chemists Papermakers Technische Universität Darmstadt alumni Austro-Hungarian emigrants to the United Kingdom