Daimler, Gottlieb (1834-1900)

Daimler, Gottlieb

ENGINEER, INDUSTRIALIST (GERMANY)

BORN 17 Mar 1834, Schorndorf, Württemberg - DIED 6 Mar 1900, Cannstatt, Baden-Württemberg (now: part of Stuttgart)
GRAVE LOCATION Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg: Friedhof an der Uffkirche, Wildunger Strasse 59, Bad Cannstatt (Abt. 11)

Gottlieb Daimler was the son of the baker Johannes Däumler. From an early age he was interested in engineering. He studied in Stuttgart under Ferdinand Steinbeis. He worked for F. Rollé und Schwilque and continued his studies. From 1861 to 1863 he worked in England. Back in Germany he designed tools, mills, and turbines.
In 1872 he became the factory manager at Gasmotoren-Fabrik Deutz in Cologne. Wilhelm Maybach became his chief designer. In 1880 he was fired by Nikolaus Otto, one of the owners.

Daimler and Maybach moved to Stuttgart and started their own company. By 1885 they had developed their first petrol engines and in 1889 they built their first Daimler-Maybach automobile. In 1890 the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft was founded and in 1892 they sold their first automobile.

In 1889 his wife Emma Kunz died. Daimler suffered from heart problems and after a collapse he travelled to Florence in 1892. There he met the widow Lina Hartmann-Schwend (1855-1932). She was the owner of the hotel where he was staying and 22 years his junior. In 1893 they married and they visited the World Fair in Chicago during their honeymoon. They had two children. Their son Gottlieb was born in 1894 and would fall in the first World War near Ypres in 1916.

Daimler died in Bad-Cannstadt in 1900. Maybach left the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in 1907. In 1926 it merged with Benz to Daimler-Benz.

Related persons
• cooperated with Maybach, Wilhelm

Images

The grave of Gottlieb Daimler at the Friedhof an der Uffkirche, Stuttgart.
Picture by Androom (05 Mar 2015)