Jakob Heusser-Staub

Jakob Heusser-Staub (3 March 1862 – 23 August 1941 as Jakob Heusser) was a Swiss industrialist and philanthropist. Born and raised in the village of Irgenhausen, Heusser-Staub made Uster his home where he founded, supported by his wife Berta Staub, the Heusser-Staub foundation.

stained glass window dedicated to Berta and Jakob Heusser-Staub in the Uster Castle

Early life and education

Born in the hamlet of Irgenhausen of the municipality of Wetzikon as the son of Luise née Schellenberg and Caspar, Jakob Staub attended Sekundarschule (pre-college level) in Wetzikon. He was a citizen of Pfäffikon. In 1877/79 he attended the Industrial School in Zürich, then the practical and commercial training took place in his father's business.^[1] His father Caspar Heusser (1836–1910) was a cotton manufacturer, who sold his products in Kempten and in the surrounding area. The professional success enabled him to purchase the Spinnerei Stauber in Kempten (with 1,200 spindles) in 1869, and to introduce mechanical weaving with 36 machines. In 1883 he bought a cotton mill in Bubikon (6,000 spindles, 80 workers) where he also added a weaving factory. Heusser expanded to Winterthur and St. Gallen, leaving a considerable fortune.^[2] Jakob Heusser lived from 1880 to 1882 in Lyon and 1882/83 in England to earn professional experiences. From 1883 to 1897 he served as trade merchant in his father's business in Bubikon, from 1897 independently as his own factory.^[1]

Becoming an industrialist

From 1900 Jakob Heusser became also a textile industrialist in the city of Uster, the industrial centre of the region: In 1900 he bought the Boller mill in Uster, and developed it to produce quality yarns. In 1910 Jakob Heusser inherited the paternal factories, bought in 1917 the spinning factory Huber in Uster which he modernized in 1928. From 1919 Heusser hold the majority share of the textile factory Schiesser AG with factories in Radolfzell and Kreuzlingen, and in 1929 of the cotton spinning and weaving factory Wettingen which he also modernized. Moreover, Heusser involved in the short-lived Swiss car factory Turicum. He acquired the majority of shares of the "Fabrik für Electrische Geräte" by Alfred Zellweger, the later Zellweger Uster AG. Heuser was also involved at the "Aluminium Industrie AG" (now Alusuisse) those delegate of the board he was between 1924 and 1939, and from 1918 to 1939 member of board of "Maschinenfabrik Rieter". His involvement in the Terpena AG for manufacturing of artificial camphor in the early 1930s became a financial fiasko, but in 1938 the activities of the spinning and weaving companies (except of "Spinnerei Wettingen") were summarized in the holding company "Heusser-Staub AG", and all other companies in the "Hesta" (He[usser]-sta[ub]) holding. Heusser evolved in the interwar period to the most important industrialist of the Zürich Oberland region: In 1900 he employed about 60 workers which produced about 10 tons of yarn per year; in 1950 there were 230 workers who produced about 50 to 60 tons of yarn per year.^[1]

Philanthropist activities

Uster Castle

Berta and Jakob Heusser-Staub supported projects of labour welfare. In 1917 the Uster Castle was acquired and renovated to house an agricultural and domestic managenment school.^[3] It was given to the citizenry of Uster to establish the "Heusser-Staub-Stiftung". In the same year Heusser and his wife Berta were appointed honorary citizens of Uster.^[4]

See also

• Uster Castle

Literature

• Hans U. Rentsch: Jakob Heusser-Staub (1862-1941), in: Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik, Volume 51, Verein für wirtschaftshistorische Studien, 1988.^[5][6]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jakob Heusser-Staub.

• Markus Bürgi: Staub, Jakob in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 13 December 2007.