August Moritz Weickert

Biography

Son of I. D. Weickert, August Moritz was only fifteen when his father died in 1816, but with his mother he preserved what remained of the family optical and hardware business. He rebuilt it, adding hardware sales, and after meeting the renowned English tool maker Stubbs during the latter's visit to Leipsic, opened a direct business connection with his firm, laying the foundation for a great hardware business he personally managed for more than 60 years. In 1847 he financed hatter F. W. Patzschke's experiments in producing tapered felt for piano hammers; when results disappointed, Weickert assumed control, installed C. W. Patzschke as factory manager, and reinvested profits for years into machinery and buildings, eventually holding a monopoly on the product. The text records his death, under the name Carl Moritz Weickert, on May 22, 1878, praising his energy, business ability and integrity. His son Otto Weickert succeeded him.

Highlights

• At age 15, with his mother, held onto his late father's ruined business and rebuilt it into a hardware house he managed personally for over 60 years
• Opened direct trade with the renowned English tool maker Stubbs after meeting him in Leipsic
• Financed and, after disappointing results, took control of F. W. Patzschke's 1847 experiments producing tapered felt for piano hammers, building the enterprise into a monopoly through years of reinvestment
• Referred to in the text as Carl Moritz Weickert at the time of his death, May 22, 1878

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), pp. 240, 241.

Public domain.