Fresenius, Wilhelm Friedrich Nils Remigius

Chemist

Born: 17.07.1913 in Berlin

died: 31.07.2004 in Wiesbaden

Fresenius, son of the chemist Remigius Ludwig Fresenius, received his doctorate after studying chemistry in Frankfurt am Main in 1939.

From 1949, he took over the sole management of the Fresenius Chemical Institute ( Chemisches Laboratorium Fresenius). Under his leadership, the institute developed in such a way that in 1962 an organizational separation into the Fresenius Institute and the Chemistry School Fresenius Wiesbaden (Cfw) became necessary. As the premises in Kapellenstrasse became too small over time, the Institute moved to a new building in Taunusstein-Neuhof in 1975, while the Chemistry School remained here for the time being. The institute became the German market leader for food analysis and laboratory services. At the same time, an engineering course was added to the existing chemical technician course at the chemistry school. In 1971, it was transformed into the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences with the Chemical Engineering course(Fresenius University of Applied Sciences). In 1995, the university moved to Idstein.

Fresenius was active in many specialist committees, societies and institutions. As an honorary professor, he lectured at the University of Mainz and was the author and co-editor of standard works such as the Zeitschrift für Analytische Chemie. In 1947, he was one of the founding members of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). He received numerous honors for this professional commitment. Fresenius represented the CDU as a member of the Wiesbaden City Council for 20 years and was also its parliamentary group chairman; he held the office of Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Wiesbadener Bank for several years. A staunch pacifist, he was a member of the Protestant synod for almost 40 years, and for many years was chairman of the Diakonisches Werk Wiesbaden and the church council of Wiesbaden's Bergkirche parish. He was also on the board of the theater community of the Hessian State Theater Wiesbaden.

Fresenius was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, honorary citizen of the city of Wiesbaden (1978), recipient of the Goethe Plaque of the State of Hesse, honorary professor at the University of Mainz, honorary member of the Society of German Chemists and the Nassau Association for Natural History.