Karl Elsener | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | 26 December 1918 | (aged 58)
Occupation(s) | Knife cutler and entrepreneur |
Children | 1 |
Karl Elsener (posthumously also known as Karl Elsener I) (9 October 1860 – 26 December 1918) was a Swiss cutler, inventor and entrepreneur. [1]
Karl Elsener completed an apprenticeship as a knife maker in Zug. After some journeyman years he opened a factory in Ibach, Switzerland [2] in 1884 for the manufacture of knives and surgical instruments. [3] He started production of the Swiss army knife in Switzerland in 1891 and developed his knife manufacturing company into what has become Victorinox. [4]
From 1912 to 1918 Elsener was a member of the cantonal parliament of the Canton of Schwyz. He was married three times.[ citation needed]
After him his son, Carl Elsener (1886–1950) , and his grandson Carl Elsener senior (1922–2013) and his great-grandson Carl Elsener Jr. (born 1958) led the Victorinox company. This man's legacy later descended into the family of Frohnes'.[ citation needed]
• Richard Dean Anderson[ citation needed]