Carl Leverkus | |
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 Portrait of Carl Leverkus, painted in 1888 by Heinrich Johann Sinkel (1835-1908) | |
| Born | (1804-11-05)5 November 1804 |
| Died | 4 February 1889(1889-02-04) (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Wermelskirchen |
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Marburg The Sorbonne University of Giessen |
| Known for | city ofLeverkusen named after him |
| Spouse | Juliane Auguste Küpper |
| Children | 11 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Thesis | Abhandlung über das Silber: Sein Vorkommen; seine Reinigung und Eigenschaften ("A treatise on silver: Its occurrence, purification, and properties") (1830) |
Carl Leverkus (5 November 1804 – 4 February 1889) was a Germanchemist and chemistry entrepreneur. The city ofLeverkusen is named after him.
Leverkus started training as apharmacist in 1822, and then studied at theUniversity of Marburg. Following a stint as an assistant pharmacist inTrier, he went to Paris, where he worked at apharmacy and studiedchemistry at theSorbonne in the evenings. In 1829, he took the apothecary examinations in Berlin. He earned his doctorate in 1830 from theUniversity of Giessen with a dissertation on the chemistry of silver, which was reviewed byJustus von Liebig.
In 1834, Leverkus opened the first German factory for the production of artificialultramarine blue inWermelskirchen. Later he moved his factory to theKahlberg in Wiesdorf. He called the emerging settlement "Leverkusen" after the family home inLennep.[1] 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 volunteerfire department, and starting achoir.
In 1884, Leverkus received the honorary title ofGeheimer Kommerzienrat ("Privy Councillor of Commerce") and was made anhonorary citizen of the city of Wermelskirchen.
In 1890, Leverkus' sons founded the companyVereinigte Ultramarinwerke ehemals Leverkus, Zeltner und Consorten ("United Ultramarine Works, formerly Leverkus, Zeltner, and associates"). The largest associate was theNuremberg ultramarine factory Joh. Zeltner.
After Leverkus' death his sons sold a portion of the factory site in Wiesdorf to thealizarin manufacturerElberfelder 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-dayBayer AG plant in Leverkusen.
Leverkus married Juliane Auguste Küpper in 1838 and had eleven children.[2] He is buried in Wermelskirchen. In 1930, the city ofLeverkusen was posthumously named after him. The German artistMartin Kippenberger was a great-great-grandson of Leverkus.
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