Carl Wilhelm Freund Walther (22 November 1858 – 9 July 1915) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

gunsmith A gunsmith is a person who repairs, modifies, designs, or builds guns. The occupation differs from an armorer, who usually replaces only worn parts in standard firearms. Gunsmiths do modifications and changes to a firearm that may require a very ...

from

Zella-Mehlis Zella-Mehlis is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 5 km north of Suhl, and 20 km east of Meiningen. The town of Zella-Mehlis is the site of the original Walth ...

Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha), or Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (german: Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha, links=no ), was an Ernestine, Thuringian duchy ruled by a branch of the House of Wettin, consisting of territories in the present- ...

. In 1886, Walther founded the firm of

Carl Walther GmbH Carl Walther Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH Sportwaffen (), or simply known as Walther, is a German firearm manufacturer, and a subsidiary of the PW Group. Founded by Carl Walther in 1886, the company has manufactured firearms and ...

. Carl Walther's father, August Theodor Albert Walther, was a brass and iron caster. His mother, Rosalie Wilhelmine Amalie Pistor, came from the gunsmith family of Pistor, William Pistor's daughter. Carl Walther studied under gunsmith Willibald Barthelmes and later under Albin Schneider. Walther worked for the Jopp company in Zella-Mehlis, making

Mauser Mauser, originally Königlich Württembergische Gewehrfabrik ("Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory"), was a German arms manufacturer. Their line of bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic pistols has been produced since the 1870s for the German arm ...

rifles. In the fall of 1886, Walther opened his gunshop in Zella-Mehlis. Walther soon hired additional workers to meet the demand for the sporting rifles he made. In 1888, Walther married Minna Georgine Pickert, the daughter of the revolver manufacturer Christian Friedrich Pickert, and they had five sons. In 1903, after three of his sons entered the firm, the focus turned to the production of pistols. In 1908, Carl Walther, together with Fritz Walther, his eldest son, designed and produced the first usable German self-loading pistol. Fritz Walther took over the management of the firm after his father's death in 1915.

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1858 births 1915 deaths Gunsmiths 19th-century German inventors People from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha German company founders 19th-century German businesspeople 20th-century German businesspeople {{Germany-engineer-stub

See also

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