Robert Wilhelm Gerling (13 August 1878 - 25 January 1935) was a German insurance executive and businessman who founded the Gerling-Konzern, of the largest insurance providers in Germany in 1904. He was the patriarch of the Gerling family of Cologne, Germany.[1][2]

Robert Gerling
Born
Robert Wilhelm Gerling

(1878-08-13)13 August 1878
Elberfeld, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia
(now Wuppertal, Germany)
Died25 January 1935(1935-01-25) (aged 56)
NationalityGerman
Occupation(s)Businessman, insurance executive
Known forFounding and leading Gerling-Konzern
Spouse
Auguste Hoffmeister
(m. 1907)
Children3, including Hans
RelativesRolf Gerling (grandson)

Early life and education

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Gerling was born 13 August 1878 in Elberfeld (today part of Wuppertal), the fourth of six children, to Robert Gerling Sr. (1847–1934), a commercial representative for his fathers button factory, and Anna Gerling (née Fromm; 1850–1938).[3] After school he completed a 3-year apprenticeship as insurance agent with C. Mihr & Co., which owners were friends of his fathers.

Career

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After briefly working for C. Mihr & Co., he joined Mannheimer Versicherungsgesellschaft (Mannheim Insurance Company) in 1896. He founded the Gerling-Konzern on 7 May 1904.

Personal life

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On 11 July 1907, Gerling married Auguste Hoffmeister (1879–1964), who was the daughter of a penitentiary director in Cologne. They had three sons;

  • Robert Gerling Jr. (born 1914)
  • Hans Gerling (1915–1991), married, one son Rolf Gerling (born 1954), who was the majority owner of Gerling-Konzern until 2005 (sold to Talanx)
  • Walter Gerling (24 October 1918 - 9 March 2019), insurance executive and philanthropist.[4]

He died on 25 January 1935 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. His last residence was Villa Marienburg in Cologne.

Literature

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  • Peter Koch: Gerling, Robert Wilhelm. In: Neue Deutsche Biographie (NDB). Band 6, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1964, ISBN 3-428-00187-7, S. 308 f. (Digitalisat) (in German)
  • Ders.: Robert Gerling (1878–1935), in: Rheinisch-Westfälische Wirtschaftsbiographien, Band 9, Münster 1967, S. 133–150 (in German)

References

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  1. ^ "Robert Gerling | Portal Rheinische Geschichte". www.rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  2. ^ "Robert Wilhelm Gerling - Biografie WHO'S WHO". whoswho.de. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  3. ^ Biographie, Deutsche. "Gerling, Robert - Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  4. ^ "Traueranzeigen von Walter Gerling | WirTrauern". www.wirtrauern.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-08.