William Schwanhausser
William Schwanhausser (1854-1928)
1928 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM SCHWANHAUSSER was born in Wurtzburg, Bavaria, Germany, in 1854 and after graduating at the Polytechnic Institute at Mittweida, Saxony, as a mechanical engineer, resolved to make America his future home.
He first held a position as draughtsman with Messrs. Osterheld and Eichmeyer of New York, and in 1876 he secured an engagement with the Otis Elevator Company, first as draughtsman, then as chief of the drawing office, and later as Assistant General Superintendent. It was largely due to Mr. Schwanhausser's efforts that the hydraulic type of elevator was made a commercial success.
In 1885 he became connected with Henry R. Worthington and was placed in charge of the manufacture of trade pumps at the Worthington Hydraulic Works, then in Brooklyn. He introduced new methods of production by the use of single-purpose machines, and within ten years the number of employees of the firm had grown from 500 to 2,500.
In 1895 Mr. Schwanhausser was placed at the head of the Worthington interests in Germany, and as associate director of the other Worthington Continental companies he visited Paris, Vienna, Budapest, and Petrograd at regular intervals.
In 1901, shortly after the formation of the International Steam Pump Company, he was recalled to become General Manager to Henry R. Worthington, and became associated with the development of high-pressure multi-stage centrifugal pumps.
In 1906 he was appointed chief consulting engineer of the International Steam Pump Company with headquarters at New York, and upon the reorganization of the firm as the Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation Mr. Schwanhausser's former appointment was confirmed.
His death occurred on 15th January 1928. He became a Member of the Institution in 1913 and was also a Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of Naval Architects, and the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure.