The Siemens family is a German noble family of technology and telecommunications industrialists, whose members were the founders and have been to the present day the largest shareholders of Siemens AG. In 2016, the family had a combined wealth of 6.2 billion euros, making them one of the richest families in Germany.
Contents
History
Origin
The Siemens family was first documented in 1384 with Henning Symons, a farmer of the Free imperial city of Goslar in Lower Saxony, Germany. The family tree begins with Ananias Siemens (c. 1538 – 1591), a citizen, brewer and owner of an oil mill in Goslar, belonging to the Shoemaker's Guild, as his ancestors were shoemakers.
His grandson Hans (1628–94), speaker of the Merchant's Guild and commander of the town's vigilance committee, built the Siemens House in Goslar in 1692. It is still owned by the family and houses their private archives and an exhibition on the family history. The Siemens family provided numerous members to Goslar city council as well as four mayors, the last being Johann Georg (1748–1807).
Development
The most important branches of the Goslar family - there are also other families with the same surname in Northern Germany - go back to the farmer Christian Ferdinand Siemens (1787–1840). His sons Werner Siemens (since 1888 von Siemens), (Carl) Wilhelm Siemens (known as Sir William Siemens), Hans Siemens, Friedrich Siemens and Carl (Heinrich) von Siemens became engineers and entrepreneurs.
Werner Siemens, a former artillery and engineering officer in the Prussian army, invented a telegraph that used a needle to point to the right letter instead of using Morse code. Based on this invention, he founded the company Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske on 1 October 1847, with the company taking occupation of its workshop on 12 October. His business partner Johann Georg Halske, a master mechanic, 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, the morse telegraph and measuring instruments. The company was internationalised soon after its founding. One of Werner’s brothers represented him in England (Sir William Siemens) and another in St Petersburg, Russia (Carl von Siemens), each earning recognition. In 1867 Mr Halske withdrew from the company because his more conservative views on company policy diverged from those of the rather venturous Siemens brothers.
In 1848 the company built the first long-distance telegraph line in Europe, 500 km from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. In the 1850s the company was involved in building long-distance telegraph networks in Russia. In 1867 Siemens completed the monumental Indo-European (Calcutta to London) telegraph line and in 1870 a transatlantic communications cable. In 1857, Werner von Siemens described the countercurrent exchange and in 1867 a dynamo without permanent magnets. A similar system was also independently invented by Charles Wheatstone, but Siemens became the first company to build such devices. In 1881, a Siemens AC Alternator driven by a watermill was used to power the world's first electric street lighting in the town of Godalming, United Kingdom. The company continued to grow and diversified into electric trains and light bulbs. In 1887 it opened its first office in Japan. In 1890, the founder retired and left running the company to his brother Carl and sons Arnold and Wilhelm.
In 1888 Werner Siemens received hereditary ennoblement as von Siemens by Frederick III, German Emperor. His brother William had been knighted – becoming Sir William – by Queen Victoria a few months before his death in 1883. The brother Carl in St Petersburg was ennobled by Tsar Nicholas II in 1895. Werner's cousin and father-in-law, Carl Georg Siemens (1809–1885), a professor of technology at the University of Hohenheim, received personal ennoblement from the King of Württemberg. Werner's nephew Georg, co-founder of Deutsche Bank, was ennobled by Wilhelm II, German Emperor, in 1899.
Family members
(Ernst) Werner (since 1888) von Siemens (known as Werner) (1816, Gehrden – 1892), inventor, founder of Siemens AG
(Carl) Wilhelm Siemens (known as (Charles) Wilhelm or Sir William Siemens) (1823, Lenthe - 1883), brother of Werner von Siemens
Carl (Heinrich) von Siemens (1829, Menzendorf - 1906), brother of Werner von Siemens
Georg von Siemens (1839 – 1901), banker and politician, nephew of Werner von Siemens
Alexander Siemens (1847, Hanover – 1928), cousin of Werner von Siemens
Arnold (since 1888) von Siemens (1853, Berlin – 1918), son of Werner von Siemens
(Georg) Wilhelm (since 1888) von Siemens (known as Wilhelm) (1855, Berlin – 1919), son of Werner von Siemens
Carl Friedrich von Siemens (1872, Berlin – 1941), son of Werner von Siemens
Hermann (Werner) von Siemens (1885, Berlin – 1986), grandson of Werner von Siemens
Ernst von Siemens (1903, Kingston upon Hull – 1990), grandson of Werner von Siemens
Peter von Siemens (1911, Berlin – 1986), great-grandson of Werner von Siemens
Friedrich Siemens (December 8, 1826 Menzendorf – May 24, 1904, Dresden)
Family tree
Branch from Ananias Siemens (Founding Father)
Generations 1-9
Descendants of Christian Ferdinand Siemens (partial excerpt)
Generations 7–12
(*) Leading function at Siemens & Halske, Siemens Brothers & Co and/or Siemens AG.