William von Meister
William von Meister | |
---|---|
Born |
William F. von Meister February 21, 1942 New York |
Died |
May 18, 1995 53) Great Falls, Virginia | (aged
Cause of death | Cancer |
Alma mater |
Georgetown University (did not graduate) American University |
Known for | Founder of The Source, and Control Video Corporation (currently AOL) |
Parent(s) |
|
Relatives | Wilhelm Meister (great-grandfather) founder of Hoechst AG |
William F. von Meister (February 21, 1942[1] – May 18, 1995) was an American entrepreneur who founded and participated in a number of startup ventures in the Washington, D.C., area. These included The Source, an early online service and CompuServe competitor, and Control Video Corporation, a predecessor company to America Online.
Early years
William Ferdinand von Meister was born on February 21, 1942 in New York City to F. W. von Meister and Eleanora Colloredo-Mannsfeld.[2] His father, F. W. von Meister was the godson of Kaiser Wilhelm II, his mother, a countess. In the 1930s, F. W. von Meister was the United States representative of the Zeppelin Company (Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH) that built the Hindenburg.[3][4]
William von Meister attended high school at Middlesex Academy in Massachusetts, and a finishing school in Switzerland. He then attended Georgetown University, though he did not finish., He persuaded nearby American University to enroll him in its master's program for business.[3]
Personal life
von Meister has at least one brother, Peter.[3] His great-grandfather, Wilhelm Meister (1827–1895), founded the Teerfarbenfabrik Meister, Lucius & Co. in Germany, which later became Hoechst AG.
Death
Bill von Meister died of cancer in Great Falls, Virginia, at the age of 53.[5]
Further reading
- Michael A. Banks (2008), On the Way to the Web: The Secret History of the Internet and Its Founders. Apress. ISBN 1-4302-0869-4.
- Lazy Game Reviews (February 3, 2017), LGR Tech Tales - Quantum Link: AOL Origins, retrieved 2017-02-24
References
- ↑ Klein, Alec (2004) [2003]. "Page 9". Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-5984-X.
- ↑ "William von Meister (1942-1995)". Luyken Family Association. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 Swisher, Kara (1998). "Two: Billy's Beginnings". AOL.COM (How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads, and Made Millions in the War for the Web. ISBN 0-8129-2896-2.
- ↑ Duggan, John; Meyer, Henry Cord (2001). Airships in international affairs 1890-1940. Springer. p. xviii. ISBN 9781403920096.
- ↑ Esther Smith (1995-05-25). "Obituary: Bill von Meister". Washington Technology.
External links
- The Story of a Pathological Entrepreneur
- Genealogy of William von Meister at the Luyken Family Association