Carl Leverkus (5 November 1804 – 4 February 1889) was a German

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

and chemistry entrepreneur. The city of

Leverkusen Leverkusen () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the south, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne, and to the north the state capital, Düsseldorf. The city is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan ...

is named after him.

Education

Leverkus started training as a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

in 1822, and then studied at the

University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...

. Following a stint as an assistant pharmacist in

Trier Trier ( , ; ), formerly and traditionally known in English as Trèves ( , ) and Triers (see also Names of Trier in different languages, names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle (river), Moselle in Germany. It lies in a v ...

, he went to Paris, where he worked at a

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

and studied

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

at the Sorbonne in the evenings. In 1829, he took the apothecary examinations in Berlin. He earned his doctorate in 1830 from the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the German-speaking world. It is named afte ...

with a dissertation on the chemistry of silver, which was reviewed by

Justus von Liebig Justus ''Freiherr'' von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 18 April 1873) was a Germans, German scientist who made major contributions to the theory, practice, and pedagogy of chemistry, as well as to agricultural and biology, biological chemistry; he is ...

Life and work

In 1834, Leverkus opened the first German factory for the production of artificial ultramarine blue in

Wermelskirchen Wermelskirchen (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Wärmelßkirrshe'') is a town in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, southeast of Remscheid. It is home to one of Europe's biggest live Christmas trees (measuring 26 ...

. Later he moved his factory to the ''Kahlberg'' in Wiesdorf. He called the emerging settlement "Leverkusen" after the family home in Lennep. The factory was a model plant with the latest technology and facilities, making it a big economic success. Carl Leverkus and his wife were committed to social causes, so they took care of the needs of the factory's workforce, building homes for the workers, establishing a consumer association for them, founding the factory's own volunteer

fire department A fire department (North American English) or fire brigade (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), also known as a fire company, fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organi ...

, and starting a

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. In 1884, Leverkus received the honorary title of ''Geheimer Kommerzienrat'' ("Privy Councillor of Commerce") and was made an

honorary citizen Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honor usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

of the city of Wermelskirchen. In 1890, Leverkus' sons founded the company ''Vereinigte Ultramarinwerke ehemals Leverkus, Zeltner und Consorten'' ("United Ultramarine Works, formerly Leverkus, Zeltner, and associates"). The largest associate was the

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

ultramarine factory Joh. Zeltner. After Leverkus' death his sons sold a portion of the factory site in Wiesdorf to the

alizarin Alizarin (also known as 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone, Mordant Red 11, C.I. 58000, and Turkey Red) is an organic compound with formula that has been used throughout history as a red dye, principally for dyeing textile fabrics. Historically it wa ...

manufacturer ''Elberfelder Farbenfabriken vorm in 1891. Friedr. Bayer & Co AG'' ("Elberfeld Colors, formerly Friedr. Bayer & Co AG"). Thus, Carl Leverkus' factory was the core of the present-day

Bayer AG Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's ...

plant in Leverkusen. Leverkus married Juliane Auguste Küpper in 1838 and had eleven children.''Carl Leverkus (1804-1889), Apotheker, Chemiker, Unternehmer'' ("Carl Leverkus (1804-1889): Chemist, pharmacist, entrepreneur")
/ref> He is buried in Wermelskirchen. In 1930, the city of

was posthumously named after him. The German artist Martin Kippenberger was a great-great-grandson of Leverkus.

Footnotes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leverkus, Carl 1804 births 1889 deaths People from Wermelskirchen People from the Duchy of Berg German Protestants 19th-century German chemists