Ernst Leitz

Born in Sulzburg, Baden, in 1843, he trained as an instrument maker and gained experience in precision mechanics before arriving in Wetzlar in the 1860s. After joining the Optical Institute there, he became a partner and then took over the business in 1869, developing it into the Optische Werke Ernst Leitz.

Under his leadership, the company became internationally known for microscopes and other precision optical instruments. He is widely remembered as the industrial figure who established the Leitz works in Wetzlar and created the foundation from which the Leica brand later emerged.

Accounts of his life also note his strong social commitment as an employer. He died in 1920 in Solothurn, Switzerland.