Schlumbohm, Peter, 1896-1962

Dr. Peter Schlumbohm was an inventor who maintained control over the design, manufacture and marketing of his inventions. Although his main area of investigation was refrigeration, he was able to finance his work through the sale of consumer products, the most successful of which was the Chemex coffee maker.

Peter Schlumbohm was born on July 10, 1896, in Kiel, Germany, the son of a bourgeois chemical manufacturer and his artistic, freethinking wife. The parents appear to have contributed equally to their son's character formation. After graduating from the gymnasium, Schlumbohm was called to military service and, as an artillery captain, participated in the great battles of the Western Front, where he was badly wounded. This experience strengthened his hostility to military-type regimentation, conformity, and large, authoritarian institutions.

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