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Fischer, Johann Conrad

14. September 1773 – 26. December 1854

: JCF

Coppersmith, natural scientist, entrepreneur and politician from Schaffhausen, Switzerland.

Johann Conrad Fischer was the founder of Georg Fischer Ltd, having established a foundry for bells and fire extinguishers in 1802 that developed into the present-day corporation. Fischer travelled extensively and built up a network of connections with natural scientists, business people and personalities all across Europe. He published the journals of his travels in the years from 1794 to 1851.

Stages in his career:

  • Apprenticeship as a coppersmith and fire extinguisher maker
  • 1792–1794 Journeyman travels in Germany, Scandinavia and England
  • 1797 Took over his father’s coppersmith trade
  • 1802 Purchased a mill in the Mühlental (Mill Valley) outside the city, where he established a foundry for bells and fire extinguishers
  • 1806 Production of crucible steel, later development of further alloys such as manganese steel, yellow steel with a copper adjunct, a silver steel alloy, steel with a chrome addition, and nickel steel
  • 1827 Manufacture of malleable cast iron (ductile cast iron)
  • 1819 Helped to start up a steel factory in La Roche near Montbéliard (Franche-Comté)
  • Steel foundries in Austria: Hainfeld in 1827, Traisen in 1833 and Salzburg in 1839

Political activities and other interests:

  • 1797–1798 Member of the Schaffhausen local council (Kleiner Rat)
  • 1801–1851 Administrator for mining ironstone mines
  • 1828–1846 Member of the Schaffhausen Executive Council (Grosser Rat)
  • 1831–1835 First mayor of Schaffhausen
  • 1831 Envoy of the Legislative Assembly (Tagsatzungsgesandter)
  • 1817 until his death, member of the Society of Natural Sciences of Switzerland

Family: Fischer

Parents:

Wife: Katharina von Waldkirch-Fischer (1775–1842)

Children:

Traveljournal 1794

Traveljournal 1814

Traveljournal 1825

Traveljournal 1825–1827

Traveljournal 1845

Traveljournal 1846

Traveljournal 1851

  • Familie Fischer. In: Bürgerregister nach Johann Ludwig Bartenschlager, Bd. 02/08, Stadtarchiv Schaffhausen (Onlineressource, Stand 30.1.2023).
  • Fischer, Johann Conrad: Tagebücher. Bearbeitet von Karl Schib. Schaffhausen 1951. (GFA 30/2).
  • Gnade, Rudolf/Schib, Karl: Johann Conrad Fischer 1773–1854. Schaffhausen 1954. (GFA 30/4).
  • Henderson, W. O.: J. C. Fischer and his Diary of Industrial England 1814–1851. London 1966.
  • Henderson, W. O.: J. C. Fischers Besuche in London zwischen 1794 und 1851. In: Sonderdruck aus Tradition - Zeitschrift für Firmengeschichte und Unternehmensbiographie 1967.
  • Henderson, W. O.: J. C. Fischers Reisen durch die Industriegebiete Englands 1814–1851. In: Tradition - Zeitschrift für Firmengeschichte und Unternehmensbiographie 1964.
  • Knoepfli, Adrian: Mit Eisen- und Stahlguss zum Erfolg. Johann Conrad Fischer (1773–1854), Georg Fischer I (1804–1888), Georg Fischer II (1834–1887), Georg Fischer III (1864–1925). Meilen 2002 (Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik 74). (GFA 30/8).
  • Schib, Karl: Johann Conrad Fischer 1773–1854. In: Schaffhauser Biographien Band I (Schaffhauser Beiträge zur vaterländischen Geschichte 33/1956). S. 152–165 (GFA 30/53; E-Periodica, Stand 1.8.2023).

Cite as: Fischer, Johann Conrad. In: Travel Reports of a Pioneer: Digital Edition of the Travel Journals of Johann Conrad Fischer 1794–1851. Published by Franziska Eggimann. Edited by Franziska Eggimann, Nicolau Lutz, Valerija Rukavina und Christopher Zoller-Blundell. Schlatt 2023, Version 1.2, https://johannconradfischer.com/en/names/gfa-actors-35, viewed on 16 September 2024.

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Johann Conrad Fischer (painting by Matthias Rudolf Toma, 1838)